


Paw Prints and Chicken Scratches

by myheartsegg



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Animal!AUs, Anthro!AUs, Big Hero 6 - Freeform, Gen, M/M, bh6 - Freeform, hidashi, tadahiro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-05 03:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 32,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3103061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myheartsegg/pseuds/myheartsegg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabble Animal!AUs (anthro or not, it will be stated) that will not be updated regularly (pfft, but since when do I ever do regular?). If I have inspiration or writer's block, this will be a good little place to put wandering ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Paw Print 01 – Scent Marks

**Cat!Hidashi**

* * *

Hiro awoke to the sound of his brother purring and a tongue licking a long stripe up his spine. With a shudder, the younger Hamada uncurled and stretched, a contented yawn leaving him.

"Mornin' Hiro," Tadashi murmured into his fur, licking at the base of his younger brother's head. Hiro giggled when Tadashi nuzzled the back of his ear, the appendage flicking nervously at the ticklish feeling of Tadashi's whiskers brushing against the sensitive tips. "Turn over for me?"

"Morning 'Dashi," Hiro purred. The smaller black cat rolled onto his back, exposing his stomach.

Tadashi took the switch of positions in stride, licking at Hiro's chest and moving up to his face soon after.

" _Ew,_ " Hiro mumbled as his brother lapped at his nose and mouth. A rumble of laughter vibrated through Tadashi and buzzed pleasantly through Hiro wherever their bodies touched.

The younger Hamada pressed his wet nose into the other's cheek, nuzzling the sensitive spot by the whiskers before burying his face into the sleek black fur of his brother's neck.

Hiro  _loved_  Saturday afternoons. It was the day when Tadashi would – literally – lather him with attention. There was so much to look forward to: the cat nap in the sun, the following tongue bath Tadashi gave him after they woke up, and a full day of warm cuddling.

Saturday was Hiro's favourite day.

"There, done," Tadashi said in a tone of satisfaction.

Hiro's ears drooped a little. That bath had been too fast for his liking. "Are you sure you didn't miss any spots?" he asked his brother quizzically.

Tadashi shook his head and huffed amusedly. "I ran over every inch of you. You're as clean as a newborn kitten."

The smaller cat pouted. So much for prolonging Tadashi's showering of attention.

Getting up onto all fours, Hiro shook his body out, fluffing up his fur back into its original state. After stretching his stiff muscles, Hiro curled back into a ball, ready to take another nap.

"Ah, Hiro, don't go back to sleep-" The younger Hamada opened one eye to look at his brother. "You don't have a scent on you yet," Tadashi explained.

Hiro lifted his head and blinked. Burying his head into his shoulder, the younger took a sniff, noticing that most of his natural scent had been washed off.

"Oh," he stated lamely. "It's alright. It'll come back," Hiro protested, completely missing what his brother had meant.

Tadashi chuckled. "Not yours bonehead,  _mine_."

Hiro felt heat flush through his system pleasantly with the way Tadashi had growled out the last part.

"You're gonna scent mark me?" Hiro asked almost excitedly.

Tadashi's response was to rub his cheek against his brother's and mumble, "What does it look like?"

Hiro laughed and rolled onto his back once again. The younger Hamada spread his paws out, as if asking for the humans' equivalent of ' _hug?'_

Tadashi easily slid in between the four outstretched limbs, larger body practically covering his younger brother's. The older black cat wasted no time in rubbing his cheeks into Hiro's face, making sure his scent was thoroughly scrubbed into his brother's fur.

Hiro's body vibrated underneath him with the force of his purrs and Tadashi returned the gesture, purring loudly as he rubbed his scent all over Hiro's head, neck, and chest area.

Tadashi was so caught up in marking what was  _his_ , that he almost didn't hear the muffled meow. The older Hamada pulled back to let Hiro speak clearly.

"Me too," his brother mumbled, pressing his nose over where Tadashi's scent gland was and inhaling his musk. The rest of Hiro's sentence dissolved into mutters and broken purrs.

Tadashi licked at the younger's brow and made a questioning sound.

"I want to scent mark you too," came the answer, clearly this time.

A Cheshire's grin pulled at Tadashi's face. His only response to the declaration was to resume his mission to make Hiro smell completely like him.

Tadashi didn't mind. Hiro wanted to mark him as his? That was fine with him.

It was just the two of them anyway. It always had been - and always would be.

Just the two of them, loving and belonging to one another.


	2. Wings 01 – Caged

**BirdHybrids!Hidashi, Anthro**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! Good evening; I am Henry Matsuoshita, your auctioneer for tonight's grand event at San Fransokyo's largest illegal auctioning stage, the Silent Sparrow!"

A round of applause lifted, and the auctioneer squinted into the dark to see that the previously abandoned warehouse was packed to the brim. A smirk pulled dangerously at the corners of his smile. More people, more money.

" _Saa, hajimeyouka!_ " He said in Japanese, following his signature line. Henry lifted his crested cane and tapped it twice on the stage before swinging it to the side in a large arc. " _Let's starting!_ "

For a majority of the night, people had given their bets and Henry was making a lot of good money. An evil sneer crossed his face for a brief moment as he turned away from the crowd.  _They haven't even **seen**  tonight's main attraction! I'm making big bucks here!_

"And finally, ladies and gentlemen, is our last attraction for this event – our finest species! Originally, they were thought to be extinct for a hundred years. However!" the auctioneer said, lifting a silencing finger. "That is not the case!"

A murmur ran through the crowd, a hum of excitement rising as Matsuoshita placed his hand on the cloth covering the cage.

"These are the last known anthropomorphic avians to  _ever_  exist! I introduce you to...  _The Hamada Brothers_!"

With a grand show of yanking off the black cloth, the auctioneer revealed a golden-barred bird cage as large as a small shack. A cheer rose up from the gathered persons, but they soon quieted down to a confused muttering.

Eyebrows pulling low, Henry looked to his right to see what was so confusing.

Lying still and unmoving, was a mass of obsidian feathers and a coal-black lump lying side-by-side. Matsuoshita's face burned red. "Stupid beasts," he hissed between gritted teeth. Turning back to the crowd, he pulled on a pleasant face. "Their species are very shy, and will need some prompting to get them to...  _play_."

Henry hit his cane against the bars, a metallic ringing filling the air and making people cringe. There was no sign of movement from inside.

Allowing a sneer to pull at his lips, the auctioneer lifted his cane and slid it through the bars, prodding at the obsidian mass of feathers. It didn't move. Henry's sneer turned into a downright scowl. He knew what would get the bigger one to move.

Walking around to the other side of the cage, Henry slipped the cane in with practiced ease, harshly jabbing the blunt edge of his staff into the smaller lump's side.

A loud, indignant squawk left the mass of coal-black feathers and Matsuoshita grinned. That was all that was needed for the larger lump to shift.  _One more time_ , Henry thought to himself, drawing back his arm to deliver a harsher jab than the previous one.

Before he could actually touch the younger Hamada, a flare of large, sleek black wings rattled the cage. The tips of the appendages extended through the bars and stretched on for another good few inches - and that was with the main body still curled up on the floor of the birdcage.

The wings withdrew and beat against the enclosure, finally settling around the smaller figure. A shriek left the newly morphed lump, a sound of pure fury making the audience shudder.

Henry grinned salaciously back at the stunned crowd. "Let's start the biding at a hundred thousand, shall we?"

Not a second later, the abandoned warehouse bursted into a frenzy of raised arms and shouted prices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Anyone have any prompts? So far I have a few ideas, but after that, I've got nil... (Also... I can't draw... anyone wanna do fanart? I'm sorry. I'm just feeling a little down lately...)


	3. Ears and Tail 01 - Recharge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nope... Still got that writer's block. (Welp, this turned out to be as long as a one-shot...)  
> VERY SHIPPY NEAR THE END HEHEHE

**CatBoys!Hidashi, Ears and Tail only**

* * *

Tadashi Hamada was tired. Really, really,  _really_  tired.

"I'm home," he called listlessly, ignoring his Aunt Cass' cheerful call of ' _Welcome back!_ ' and trudging up the stairs on heavy feet.

The older Hamada cleared the flight of stairs up to the attic-turned-bedroom-loft with a soft groan, his hand instinctively coming up to remove his cap and ruffle his hair up a bit so that his sore ears could breathe. Unbuttoning and unzipping his pants, he maneuvered his tail until it was free - no longer wrapped around his left leg down to his ankle - and breathed in relief.

It was hard hiding the fact that you were a hybrid; They weren't exactly the majority of the population in San Fransokyo, and were therefore not exactly looked at on a pedestal the same height as the others.

Tadashi sighed heavily. He was still tired.

Managing to drag his feet over to the computer seat in the corner of the room, Tadashi flopped forward over the backing.

" 'M home Hiro," he mumbled into the other's hair.

His younger's brother's ear flickered atop his head and brushed against Tadashi's cheek, signalling he had heard him.

"Welcome home Tadashi," Hiro muttered distractedly, hands flying over the keyboard in front of him and manipulating a 2D character with ease.

The older Hamada hummed, rubbing his face into Hiro's wild mane of hair, liking the untouched scent of his brother. "What're you doing?" he asked after a minute of nuzzling and comforting silence.

"Trying to beat this guy's last high score. He managed to beat my previous one by two points.  _Two points!"_  Hiro stressed with a lift of his shoulders.

Tadashi chuckled and stood up straight, bringing his hands up and stretching until he heard a satisfying pop. He let out a sound of content and twisted until the rest of his back made a series of loud cracks. Tadashi groaned.

Oh, that felt good.

After he was done letting out the tension in his body, the older Hamada rolled his neck and used one of his hands to rub at a sore shoulder. "I'm going to go take a shower," he said as he riffled through his drawers for a set of loose clothes and trudged towards their shared bathroom.

Hiro's distant, "Yeah, sure," was the last thing he heard before he closed the door to the bathroom.

After a quick hot shower, Tadashi had to agree with himself that he felt a little better. More...  _refreshed_ without the smell of humans clinging to his skin. But there was still something that was missing...

Tadashi entered his and Hiro's loft to his little brother's scream of "YES! YES, I DID IT! I BEAT YOU, HAH! SUCK IT!"

Tadashi frowned, but couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips. "Hiro, language," he warned mildly.

"Never mind that, I beat that guy's high score by a mile! I got almost four hundred more than his previous record! Now he won't be catching up anytime soon! Mwa hahaha!"

Hiro laughed maniacally and leapt from his chair, bouncing up to Tadashi for a fistbump. The elder of the two shook his head in fond exasperation and lightly tapped his fist against his brother's.

"Whatever you say," Tadashi mused as he lifted his hand to briefly ruffle his brother's hair - immediately earning him swats to the offending limb and a grumble of ' _You know I'm sensitive there._ "

The older Hamada chuckled and sidestepped his little brother to flop face first into the mass of pillows sitting innocently at the head of the other's bed.

Inhaling the sweet scent of gummy bears and something uniquely  _Hiro,_ Tadashi felt his muscles relaxing just a bit. But something was still missing:

The scent wasn't strong enough.

A weight settled against his back and warmth seeped into Tadashi's skin at the areas of contact.

Hiro rested his head in the junction between his brother's shoulder blades and huffed, "What's up big bro? You got dumped or something? You're acting like a zombie, groaning everywhere and making dead noises."

Tadashi did just that, moaning his complaint into Hiro's pillow and making 'dead noises' to express how tired he was.

Hiro giggled slightly and squirmed until his nose was pressed to the back of Tadashi's neck. "What was that? You  _know_  I don't speak pillow-talk."

Tadashi felt a shiver run down his spine when Hiro's warm breath ghosted over the skin of his spine, raising goosebumps in their wake. He made another vague noise. "Mmff-mm-hmm."

The teen's expression turned mischievous before he scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes. "I guess since you refuse to speak clearly, I'll just have to  _make_   _you_ turn around!"

The sound of Hiro drawing in a large breath was the only warning Tadashi got before a sloppy, wet raspberry was blown against the skin of his neck, an obscenely loud,  _ **PPPBBBFFFTTT**_  echoing around the room.

The elder jolted, twisting his body and hand coming up to the assaulted area. His tail was raised and puffed up. "Eeeww, Hiro!"

Hiro rolled onto his back, clutching his stomach as he howled with laughter. "Hahaha! That's what you get- hehe - when you- pfft- you- hahaha!"

The younger Hamada gave up trying to wheeze out words into a sentence, instead cackling evilly at the look on his brother's face.

"Why you..." Tadashi wiped the excess spit off the back of his neck and launched himself onto Hiro, swiftly pinning his younger brother's smaller body underneath him.

Hiro looked back up at him in surprise, laughter subsiding and eyes wide.

It was Tadashi's turn to snicker playfully. "Hey knucklehead, you forgot: I have  _The Force_ ," he said, bringing the saliva covered hand closer to Hiro's face.

At first, Hiro raised an eyebrow and smirked up at him. " _The Force_? You're such a nerd, Tadashi."

But when the younger Hamada caught sight of the wet sheen covering his brother's palm, his smile dropped and he squirmed, tilting his head away as if the action could prevent the hand from coming any closer. "W-wait, 'Dashi, no."

"It's your own spit bro, nothing to be scared of," Tadashi teased. In one quick motion, he wiped his palm down the side of Hiro's cheek, the teen squeaking at the contact.

Tadashi chuckled and rolled off of his brother, relishing in the groan of disgust that came from Hiro.

"Aww, gross." Hiro wiped his sleeve over the wet spot on his face and scrunched up his nose at his brother, ears flattened against his head. " _You're_ gross."

The older Hamada smiled cheekily and reclined against the stack of pillows behind him, his tail splayed out and falling over the edge of the small bed. "Yeah? Who's the one who decided to give me a raspberry in the first place?"

Hiro grimaced. He knew a losing fight when he was in one. Instead, he decided to change the topic. "You didn't answer my question from before."

It took a few seconds for Tadashi to try and search through his memories to find the last string of conversation they had. When he pulled up with nothing, he gave his younger brother a helpless look to which Hiro sighed mock-tiredly.

"What's up with you? Why're you so-  _uuggghh_?" Hiro said, hands coming up to pull down on his face, eyes rolling up like a zombie and voice imitating the way the other supposedly groaned.

Realization lit Tadashi's expression. The elder Hamada shrugged, his brow raised. "Nothing much, I guess. Just had a stressful day at school."

Hiro scoffed and leaned back on his hands at the edge of the bed. "What, college life finally getting to you?"

Tadashi smirked. "No, SFIT's not that bad, but you wouldn't know that, right Mr. Genius?"

The teen lifted a hand and flapped it, mouthing silent words while rolling his eyes. Tadashi sat up and flicked him, moving back into position so fast, it was like he hadn't even moved.

"Ow! What was that for?" Hiro groaned, holding a hand over the stinging area on his forehead. His tail twitched in annoyance.

"Respect your elders, Hiro," Tadashi smoothly replied, a smug smile on his lips.

The younger Hamada pouted petulantly. "Fine. Just tell me what happened at your stupid school."

His older brother's expression softened and he gave a nod. "I've been having a bad day. I woke up late-" Hiro snickered at the memory of that morning's Tadashi, frantic and frazzled, clothes hanging off of him weirdly and hair in a wild flurry around his head.

"-and then I forgot to eat something for breakfast, so I was hungry during all my morning classes. My stomach growled really loud during one of them actually - ugh, it was embarrassing."

Tadashi buried his face in his hands and Hiro smirked at the image of his brother as red as a tomato and stammering in class to try and explain why he was making hungry noises during a lecture.

"Then, when it came to break, I realized I forgot to bring Aunt Cass' packed lunch during the morning rush. Nor did I remember my wallet, so I didn't have money to buy food. And  _then_ , my college project decided it was good idea to  _attack_  me."

This peaked Hiro's interest. His project  _attacked_  him? Tadashi was a robotics major and a medical minor, so...

An image of a totally awesome battle bot - his brother's of course - flashed behind Hiro's eyes. But before he could question further on the subject, Tadashi continued.

"And even on the way home, I was struck with bad luck. Half way to the café, my moped broke down in the middle of an intersection and I had to walk the rest of the way home."

Tadashi sighed heavily and scrubbed his face with his hands. His tail was thrashing around, flicking back and forth in a show of true irritation. Hiro was silently impressed. He must have had a  _really_  bad day.

'At least I'm home now though," the older Hamada sighed, flopping back down into his previous position and looking at the smaller with a hopeful expression.

Hiro knew what Tadashi wanted; he wanted a cuddle session. The elder was a real cuddler, and there were often times where Tadashi would come back from a stressful day and beg for hugs, roping Hiro into allowing him to snuggle the younger like a teddy bear to 'recharge'.

It was the younger Hamada's turn to sigh. It wasn't that Hiro disliked these cuddle sessions - it was just that sometimes, he found it a little... _Overwhelming._

The teen squinted at his brother, trying to see if there would be any leeway to get out of it this time. Sadly for him, Tadashi remained firm, looking at Hiro through his lashes and giving him his best 'puppy-dog' look.

Hiro rolled his eyes, but crawled into his brother's embrace anyway when Tadashi opened up his arms and made a beckoning motion with both hands. His brother had gone through a stressful day; he supposed Tadashi had earned himself this one. Besides, he was in a good enough mood after getting that high score to share some of his happiness.

Burying his face into Tadashi's chest, Hiro breathed in the mixed scents of laundry detergent, machine oil, and his brother's unique musk. Tilting his head up a bit, the teen nosed at the junction where Tadashi's ear and jaw met, loving how his brother's scent was stronger there. Without meaning to, a purr erupted from his chest.

Tadashi meanwhile, wrapped his arms securely around his brother, already rubbing his cheek against Hiro's downy-soft hair. He hummed in satisfaction.

This was what he had missed all day - The warmth of Hiro pressed up close to him, their mingling scents being rubbed off on each other and the sound of their contented purrs filling the silence of the room.

It was perfect - just what he needed.

Hiro dragged his nose down the column of his brother's neck, tracing the line of muscle and pausing to run his lips over the warm, smooth skin of Tadashi's exposed collar bone. The teen rubbed his face into the crook of the elder's neck, sparks flying down his spine and crawling back up to settle as a smoldering heat in his chest.

A sudden flare of pleasure raced to the ends of Hiro's fingers when Tadashi wrapped his tail around his own, the fuzzy tip tickling his calf a little ways underneath the hem of his shorts.

His brother's arms held him a little tighter, and Hiro wanted to whimper - cuddling with Tadashi always felt so  _good_.

Tadashi's ears flickered when he heard a small noise come from his brother. It wasn't the outright sound which Tadashi was used to hearing when Hiro was completely pleased - it was the sound that Hiro made when he was trying to hold back.

The older Hamada's peaceful smile almost turned into a smirk; he finally had the chance to have Hiro make  _that_  sound. Now he only needed a little push - a push that Tadashi knew exactly how to give.

Shifting his arms just the slightest bit, Tadashi placed his hands on the small of Hiro's back, rubbing calming circles into his brother's spine and slowly working his way up.

By the time he had reached the younger's shoulders, Hiro's purring was blaringly loud; the vibrations were so intense that the elder Hamada could feel it reverberating into his body and making the tips of his fingers and toes tingle.

When he finally worked his fingers over the back of Hiro's neck and into his hairline at the base of his skull, Hiro was practically putty in his hands.

A small spark of pride lit itself in Tadashi's chest. He was proud that he was the only one who would ever be able to get Hiro to relax so completely like this; he was the only one who could make his brother purr this loud, or melt to such a degree that he was basically a liquid rag doll.

He was the only one who could make Hiro this content.

Finally deciding that he had waited long enough, Tadashi made the finishing move and attacked Hiro's ears, the place where his brother was most sensitive.

The effect was immediate:

The younger Hamada's back arched and he pressed his body closer to Tadashi's, toes curling and fingers scrabbling to clutch desperately to the front of the elder's T-shirt.

Tadashi was nothing if not relentless though, and he slipped his fingers down to rub at the base of Hiro's ears, occasionally scratching the hyper-sensitive area with blunt nails.

The teen gasped, and his head fell to the side, eyes rolling back and lids falling shut as his lips parting just a bit to reveal that adorable tooth gap and-

Hiro positively  _mewled_ , the sound small, but loud and completely and utterly  _adorable._

As soon as the sound was out, unfortunately, the smaller's eyes snapped open and he pressed a hand to his mouth, face flushing a deep red.

Tadashi laughed, bright and high while Hiro threw him a dirty look.

"As cute as a kitten," Tadashi got out between breathless laughter.

The younger Hamada threw a hard punch at his brother's shoulder, ignoring the way Tadashi winced at the force behind it.

" _Bonehead_ ," Hiro muttered under his breath.

Tadashi grinned at his brother, muttering a thanks. Hiro raised an eyebrow and Tadashi nodded back, answering the silent question with, "Recharge complete."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, self-indulgence is important *winks* if you know what I mean ;)
> 
> Egg-chan, out. *rolls away shamelessly*


	4. Fire and Death 01 – Busted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sort of Midieval!AU where dragons are rare beasts that are both treasured for their hide and feared for their rampages of fire and death. Humans cannot understand dragons, but dragons can understand human speech; they just cannot communicate with them.

**Dragon!Hidashi**

* * *

"Tadashi!" Hiro screamed through the muzzle painfully binding his snout; he thrashed against the ropes tying him down and the sharp spears poking at his scaled side. " 'Dashi, help!"

The dragon youth redoubled his efforts when he saw one of the knights draw a sword, the metal gleaming wickedly when the sunlight that filtered through the thick underbrush caught its tip.

He had really blown it this time. Maybe pilfering through the second biggest castle in the kingdom in broad daylight just because he was bored out of his scales hadn't been a good idea. Well, not his worst, but certainly not his brightest either.

"Tada-" Hiro cut himself off and stilled when the knight - the leader it looked like - pressed the point of his broadsword to his throat. The dragon withheld a whimper. He would not be degraded here. If he really was going to die, he would die a child of fire and death until the end.

" 'Tis a good catch." The knight practically purred, shifting the end of his sword from Hiro's throat to underneath his chin, lifting the youth's head lest he be cut from the sharpened edge of metal. "The goddess of hunt has favoured us. Tonight we feast on dragon meat and clothe the poor with scales!"

A roar rose from the crowd of villagers and knights alike, and Hiro glared. They wanted to do  _what_  now?

Being skinned for his flesh and roasted over a fire was ironic enough, but turning him into  _clothes_? That was just low.

Fueled by his momentary indignation, Hiro slowly lifted his long tail, the hold on the ropes loose enough that it could hover a meter or so off the ground. He only had one shot - and with that, he'd make them regret they threw their hands up to cheer.

Quickly using his tail as a whip, he thrashed it towards the leader-guy, catching him across the chest. With a stunned grunt, he flew across the clearing, tumbling and bouncing in the flattened and scorched grass until he hit the thick trunk of an evergreen.

"Avidel!" the group of men yelled, watching in horror as their leader slumped with a final groan. Hiro snorted. The the man wasn't dead. In fact, they should have been thankful Hiro couldn't use his full strength with all those dead weights still attached to his weapon of choice.

The young dragon surveyed the damage he had done. There was a smattering of people moaning in pain from being flung around the meadow - the ones that either reacted too slow, or were too stupid to let go of the rope as he swung his tail - and the knight, Avidel. All in all, it looked like a good twenty of them were down.

So that was thirty-  _forty_  more people left for him to escape from. A hiss left his lips. This was going to be hard without Tadashi around.

Why oh  _why_ did his older brother have to go to the millennial Volcan meeting? Sure it was an important gathering with the elders, but Tadashi was still young! Just because their parents used to be members of the council didn't mean they had to be too! It wasn't a hereditary thing, was it?

Hiro felt a growl vibrate low in his chest. Today was turning out to be a complete and utter bust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little something while I'm at school ;) I think I like this one - I'll probably continue it. :D


	5. Fire and Death 02 – Red-Tinted Rage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADCANON!
> 
> Dragons have the natural ability to "breathe fire", but to do so comes with the dragon's maturity. To form fire, dragons must first eat; the gas produced from their digestion is highly flammable, and can be stored in a large sack next to their stomachs. When they breath out this gas, they click their jaws (they have special teeth at the back - near the throat almost), which creates a spark and then ignites the gas into a fire.
> 
> To create a continuous stream of fire, a dragon must develop their diaphragm's strength to push against that sack by their stomachs. The older the dragon is, the stronger their muscles and digestion. Younger dragons do not have the ability to breathe fire, due to the fact that they have underdeveloped muscles in the required areas and their digestive systems are not strong enough to handle all of that red meat they eat and turn it into the special gas.
> 
> This is also why occasionally, despite how Hiro whines about him being too old for it (though he's not) and it being completely gross - Tadashi will hunt and come back to their nest to regurgitate food for him (*sobs* since their parents aren't there to do it for him).
> 
> Now we get to the Hamada bros: Tadashi is almost fully grown, though still young by dragon standards. He has wonderful control over his fire, and is regarded as a genius for his age.
> 
> Hiro, too, is hailed by the council of dragons as their brightest youngster, as he is able to form -albeit small - bursts of flames; whereas other dragons his age would only be able to produce smoke. Hiro also invented the idea of fireballs. He gathers the gas in his mouth, rolls it with his tongue, and the moment he clicks his jaws, he exhales/blows outwards to "shoot" the ignited ball of gas.
> 
> Truly a genius. Even in dragon form.

**Dragon!Hidashi**

* * *

"The  _dragon,_  men! Get the dragon! Tie it down, 'tis dangerous!" hissed the lieutenant. "Take the injured o'er to their horses and draw your swords; in honour of the hunt!"

The remaining knights that were standing in a stupor rushed to obey, taking to command as soon as they had another leader to follow. The group scattered to their assigned tasks.

 _Like ants in a colony,_  Hiro thought derisively, once again lashing out with restricted limbs and wings and claws - anything to get him free. The small dragon let out an irritated roar between gritted fangs.

"S-Sir Revendale, Sir Avidel is unconscious!" a teen with wide forest-green eyes and hazelnut hair yelled, running up to the knight.

"Wake him, he has a score to settle with this beast! Hurt not his pride at such a crucial moment!"

"Y-yes sire!" The squire scrambled off, and Hiro strained against the rapidly ripping ropes, giving the poor kid a scare.

"Rope! Use more rope! Use it all if you have to!" Revendale commanded with a large sweep of his hand.

Soon, layer after layer of the infuriating material was twined around the smaller Hamada, squeezing and constricting tightly against his body. He couldn't breathe.

Summoning the heat he knew brewed in his gut, Hiro pooled lethal gas in his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue into a compressed ball. Letting loose a fireball probably wouldn't be the best idea, considering he had a muzzle on, but what could he do?

They were rapidly tying him down, and with his body movements confined, there were no other tricks in his bag except to at least  _try_  the fire, even if he couldn't control it completely.

Hiro jerked his head, jaws snapping as he struggled to open his mouth. He needed to create a spark, but this stupid muzzle-! The dragon felt his hope draining out of him... Was this how his brother would find him? A carcass left to be picked on by the buzzards? No, they'd probably take his body for food and clothing.

 _Look at it from another angle; use that big brain of yours!_ his brother's low rumble of a voice echoed in his mind.

An idea flashed for only a second in Hiro's head, but that was all he needed to get his brain to kickstart. Possibilities and the scale of pros and cons weighed back and forth. Could he do it? Would it melt?

It was definitely worth a try.

Swallowing down the gas-ball he had summoned (he wouldn't be able to fire it like this anyway - unless he wanted an explosion inside his mouth), Hiro felt his stomach convulse, the food inside sloshing and tumbling.

He inhaled through his nose, filling his lungs with oxygen. In a large exhale, steam lifted through his nostrils, the acrid smell heavy and sharp. He'd seen Tadashi do this tons of times, he just needed to...  _A little more-_

With a wet heave, Hiro felt his lunch come back up and coat his tongue with bile. The dragon wanted to grimace, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Quickly sucking his stomach in and tightening his diaphragm, Hiro called on his gas again, rolling the contents in his mouth and making a sort of flammable - or what he  _hoped_ was flammable - liquid.

Hiro slid the protective film over his eyes - this wasn't going to be pretty, but loosing his lunch wouldn't be too bad if it meant that he had gained a little bit of freedom.

Using what dwindling strength remained, the little black dragon thrashed his head around until the peoples' hold on the ropes around his snout loosened. With the newly gained space, Hiro clicked his jaw, igniting the gas and the bile in his mouth.

As he had been expecting, the knights soon recovered, swiftly getting into position again and pulling forcefully on the ropes.

But Hiro was prepared. Pulling back his lips from around his fangs, the dragon let the burning liquid-bile drip onto the ropes surrounding his mouth and down his neck, relishing in the sound of sizzling and the small snaps of horse-hair rope burning.

With a final crack, the ropes around his head and neck fell away, burned and eroded into frayed strings. Hiro lifted his head in triumph, roaring loud and shrill.  _I did it! I melted the rope! I just made another new technique; oh my gosh, I have to show Tadashi-_

His victory didn't last long. The voice of his original captor rang out across the meadow, pained but clear. "Restrain the damned dragon! As it did to our kingdom, we shall trade brick for scale and tooth for nail! We will tear this beast down!"

Hiro almost wanted to roll his eyes. Humans always had to be so dramatic. All he had done was eat a few of their older cows and knocked over a building and/or roof once in a while. It wasn't like he had gone around scorching everything. I mean, the most he could do was blow small bursts of fire. He couldn't exactly let out a stream of fire yet; he was still too young-

"AYE!"

The combined voices of the men surrounding him broke Hiro out of his excitement, once more making anxiety bubble uncomfortably in his gut. Suddenly, the weight of a dozen grown men on either side of him pressed down. The younger Hamada felt as if he was slowly being buried under a mountain.

Just as Hiro was about to swing his head around to rip at the ropes binding his body, the dragon yelped in shock when he felt spear heads and sword tips being prodded underneath his scales, slicing at the tender flesh of his hide. Hiro growled and snapped at the offending weapons, tearing them away and crushing them in his jaws when they came within his reach.

The men shouted profanities at him, but Hiro snarled back, teeth bared.

Where was Tadashi when you needed him? He should have been home by sunrise!

Hiro was blindsided by a flare of pain shooting through his skull, the blunt impact of something solid bringing him down. The dragon youth rolled onto his side and lay in a daze, ears ringing and eyes seeing double.

Through his swimming vision, the black dragon could see-  _was that a catapult?_ Someone had shot at him using a freaking  _boulder?_

The pounding in his temples shut off further complaints.

Two blurred figures dressed in glinting metal armor stalked up to him, the shapes and sounds of swords being drawn from their scabbards making itself clear even through the haze that fell over Hiro's mind like a blanket. The younger Hamada's pupils constricted, and he released a terrified yip - a sound he hadn't made in years.

Crap. They were coming for him.

Hiro drew in a short, hurried breath - this would be his last chance. "HELP!" he screeched, praying someone- anyone would hear him. "HELP! HElp..."

His voice quieted with a choke when the first person - he assumed it was Avidel - placed the tip of his broadsword to the little dragon's throat; the threat on his life was clear with the way it dug into his scales. The second - Revendale - placed his weapon to the dragon's exposed underside, cold metal biting into the much softer flesh.

Hiro held his breath. This was it - it was game over. No one would save him. Not even Tadashi.

All remaining hope fled his body at the thought and the black dragon let his body go lax, readying himself to die at these peoples' hand. He'd had a good run; Hiro just wished he could have said a goodbye to his brother...

Avidel raised his sword, the tempered steel letting off a menacing shine. Hiro leered at the weapon as it hung dramatically, waiting for his end. When he saw the man's hand twitch in preparation to make the final move, he closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

But it never came.

"-Wait...! Please, wait!" a voice called out, disrupting the once almost reverent silence. Hiro could hear another voice hiss after the first, " _Come back here!_ "

There was a shuffle of cloth and scuffling feet, prompting Hiro to peek through his lids. Pupils dilating to adjust to the light of midday, his vision went from unfocused to slightly less blurry.

What he saw in front of him made no sense.

It was the squire, standing directly before his head - feet so close, Hiro's snout could touch the other's boots if he shifted a little. He was in front of the knight, arms raised in defence and...  _shielding_  Hiro?

"Move  _boy,_ " Hiro heard the knight growl impatiently under his breath.

"U-uh, nope. No, I- I can't do that," the squire said quietly, tacking the 'Sire' at the end, if only by habit.

"And why not?" Avidel's voice sounded absolutely stormy.

The whispering voice he had heard earlier came closer, becoming louder and more urgent. It was female. " _Are you out of you **mind**? Don't do this! You're giving your future up for a  **dragon!**_ " The way she hissed the last word through her teeth made Hiro think she either really had something against his kin, or was just regularly cross with the squire.

The boy took in a shaky, noisy breath - intimidated from getting hustled on either side - and made a vague hand motion towards Hiro's fallen form. "Haven't you looked at it? It's scared."

Revendale scoffed, the tip of his broadsword momentarily pulled away from Hiro's belly. " 'Tis not possible. Dragons have no such things as emo-"

A dark shadow abruptly swept into Hiro's peripherals, the size of it so large it momentarily blocked out the sun before passing over the clearing with a violent whoosh of air. The meadow went silent.

They all waited for a few minutes, the soldiers crouched low lest the shadow had decided to come back - or worse, had spotted them. The breeze settled, but the atmosphere did not. It was tense and wary.

In that time, Hiro's had gained back his vision and hearing - but his body felt heavy; most likely the toll of struggling, giving up his lunch and being stoned (with a freaking boulder) catching up with him.

But not too far off, a roar rumbled through the mountains and the young dragon's hope rekindled. This could be his lucky break! Maybe...! Hiro barely dared to believe. He was hearing it, right?

A few seconds later, another echo of a growl reached Hiro's ears. It was another dragon; he wasn't delirious!

Instinctively, Hiro tipped his head back and wailed in calling, the high pitch of it the unique warbling-shriek that signaled the sound of a hatchling in distress. The small coal-black dragon called and called, chest heaving against his bindings. The youth only cut off his cry when the ghost of his name broke through the frantic obscurity of fear and hope.

Lifting searching orbs to the skies, the younger dragon prayed.  _Please be Tadashi, please be Tadashi, please be..._ He waited.

" _Hiro!_ " -came Tadashi's distant roar of distress.

Hiro's heart skipped a few beats, palpitated, and then pounded hard. "Tadashi! Help! Please, it hurts!" he yelped, tone beyond desperate. He wanted to get away from here; didn't want to see another human for another century maybe. He wanted to fly far away from this place and find a high, jagged cave to hide in and possibly never come out of.

Suddenly, an ear-shattering screech split the air - powerful and feral, and very  _very_ angry.

" _HIRO!_ "

His name was bellowed from the clouds, and never before did the little dragon love his brother's voice as much as he did in that moment. Tadashi's figure broke through the clouds, his sleek obsidian-scaled body descending claws-first and wings spread wide to catch air.

The sight of his brother - powerful, mighty,  _deadly_  - was breathtaking, leaving Hiro in stunned awe.

Apparently the humans didn't share his sentiment, as the cowardly ones scattered like cockroaches. They ran here and there into the trees, their horses braying with fright. The knights that were brave (or stupid) enough stood their ground, stiffly shuffling away when the elder of the two lighted down.

"Hiro, are you okay?" Tadashi asked him hurriedly, beating his wings and digging his claws into the soft earth for purchase.

The lingering feeling of helplessness left him at his brother's presence, thawing his fear-frozen heart and melting it in warmth. Yes, he  _was_  okay. Tadashi was here now and Hiro was safe.

"Hiro?" his brother called, voice shaken and sounding like he was preparing for the worst.

A sly thought sprang to life behind the smaller's eyes, forcing the younger Hamada not to grin as he shifted slightly, showing his older brother the blood seeping from between his scales. He cried out to his brother wordlessly, weak and helpless squeaks lifting from the shallow part of his diaphragm and leaving his throat.

An expression of abstract terror - on Hiro's account - flit across his brother's face, and Hiro bit into his tongue, forcing crystalline tears to pool at the rim of his eyelids. When he blinked them, the tears fell, cascading down his snout and finally solidifying into saline gems that fell to the ground with a soft tinkling sound.

" _Nii,_ " Hiro whispered, voice trembling and watery. His body shook and stuttered, and he decided to seal the deal. Laying his head on the grass, Hiro looked up at his brother, pupils widening to take in more light and effectively creating his signature "puppy-dog eyes". He whimpered.

A full body shudder ran down Tadashi's spine, his muscles visibly tensing and wings flaring.

The little devil fought down a smirk. Now to put the cherry on top of the whole thing... The younger Hamada sniffled, a small and frightened, " _Help me... Nii-chan,_ " falling past his pouting lips.

Hiro only had a moment to send the petrified knights a smug look and relish in the sharp tangy scent of fear before his attention was pulled away to gaze admiringly at the way his brother's pupils contracted - his normally soft brown eyes slitting and turning that loving, beautiful golden-brown into a frightening display of red-orange-red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops! This chapter turned out way cheesier than I expected (And a bit grosser - but eh, this is what happens when you binge-watch DiscoveryChannel).
> 
> Bonus cookies to you sweetlings if you can guess some of the characters I borrowed. :D
> 
> BTW, DISCLAIMER ON THEM huehuehue *thumbs up* d(e u e)


	6. Fire and Death 03 - Fire Fit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Aphrodite433 for editing my shit this chapter XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADCANON!
> 
> Dragons - usually (though not restricted to) parents with a new clutch - may work themselves into a 'Fire Fit' when their eggs or offspring are threatened. When this happens, they seem to lose all reason and will scorch and tear at anything and everything they see that moves.
> 
> Their eyes will - as Hiro had put it, turn "red-orange-red". This is the cause of extra blood flow to their eyes, creating a sort of special filter which enables the dragon to detect movement better, and to react faster to eliminate any threats at the slightest shift. If you so much as twitch a muscle? You're roast (human) beef.
> 
> When this happens, the hatchlings will instinctively pick up and react to a scent that the dragon parent(s) releases - a special pheromone that makes them freeze up. This is a built-in defense mechanism that prevents the parents from killing its own offspring while in their blind rage.
> 
> The pheromone sends the body into a sort of deadlock, where the brain sends a message to all the muscles in the body to prepare itself to stiffen (therefore the urge to relax in a sturdy position - usually a ball or a stance with their center of gravity close to the ground and appendages tucked in) before the brain stops sending out electrical impulses to every part of the body except for the vital organs.
> 
> When frozen, the dragon hatchlings' heartbeat is slowed dramatically, and their breathing is brought down to once a minute, where usually they would have taken eight breaths in that time (the average human, when resting, breathes 12-20 times per minute). This ensures that the minuscule movement of their diaphragm expanding and contracting does not attract the attention of their guardian before the threat is dealt with.
> 
> (All this gives the appearance that the hatchlings were 'paused'. However, the whole process can be avoided by holding one's breath and not inhaling the pheromones - doing this is not recommended and not widely known. After all, not many hatchlings can stay still long enough to tell the tale.)
> 
> There is also a reverse pheromone that will 'unfreeze' the hatchling when the guardian's Fire Fit is over and they are sufficiently calmed.

**Dragon!Hidashi**

* * *

Hiro hid a flinch when Tadashi let loose a bone-rattling roar, wings flaring and eyes blazing.

Seeing his older brother in a Fire Fit was both scary and exhilarating, as it was every time.

It sent chills down Hiro's spine, seeing the way his brother's head would rear back and his jaw could click menacingly as he ignited his flames, the fire dancing elegantly with the way he would beat his wings to feed the burning gas with oxygen, then cull it with the carbon dioxide he breathed out through pursed lips and gritted teeth.

It was frightening - even to Hiro, who was supposed to be null against Tadashi's fury. Instead, the little Hamada struggled against the instinct to raise his hackles and lie flat on his stomach, touching his belly to the ground and submitting to Tadashi; those were his teenage hormones talking. But a stronger, more pressing instinct told him to relax, find a stable, comfortable position and breathe deeply. This was the instinct of a hatchling responding to its parent in a Fit.

Hiro wasn't stupid - not even remotely so. He could make good, conscious, independent decisions: he could either breathe in the pheromone that his brother was releasing - letting it freeze him up and ensure his safety,  _or_  he could hold his breath and watch as his older brother decimated the people who had threatened him, meanwhile risking his own life at the hands of his brother should he move even a muscle.

The younger Hamada scoffed. He wasn't stupid. No; he was a  _daredevil_. He knew what he was doing. This wasn't the first time Tadashi had entered a Fire Fit because of him, and the mischievous dragon knew all the tricks to staying still and playing dead. (Despite his appearances as a hyperactive kid, he could accomplish many things through sheer determination and will alone.)

Breathing shallowly, Hiro took in as much fresh air as he could and closed his nostrils.

The little dragon watched with barely hidden amusement as Tadashi sunk his claws into horses and humans alike, roasting anything in his grasp with a shot of intense yellow-white fire. As the older Hamada ripped through the clearing and anything daring to even breathe the wrong way, Hiro estimated the time it would take for his older brother to finish off the remaining knights. It probably wouldn't take any longer than ten minutes. His lungs could hold till then.

The coal-black dragon was so immersed in watching his brother destroy that he didn't even notice his restraints being cut into until the sound of the main rope snapping caught his attention and his wings unfurled from their cramped position. With the central binding gone, Hiro felt the pressure on his lungs decrease. He could hold his breath for a good twenty minutes now.

Harried whispers and almost-but-not-quite yells caught his attention.

 _"Haddock, what do you think you're_ doing _?! We need to get out of here!"_

_"I know, I know, but this guy needs to be freed! Go on without me, I'll catch up."_

_"His mother is here, and in a_ Fire Fit _for Thor's sake! He_ will  _be freed. Now c'mon!"_

In a risky move, Hiro shifted his head the tiniest bit to observe what was going on behind him when Tadashi looked in the opposite direction from them, unconsciously shifting Hiro into his blind spot.

The sight that greeted him wasn't even shocking anymore.

It was the little squire - furiously working at the thick horse-hair ropes with a small hunting knife. The boy's face was taught with fear and something else the dragon couldn't decipher as he sawed and then hacked at the twined restraints encircling Hiro.

The girl was there beside the brunet, yanking at his clothes and hands feverishly, but the boy was surprisingly resilient and stubborn - despite having the look and demeanor of a pushover.

This piqued Hiro's interest. This human was different from the others. He was willing to spare a dragon's life, even when it seemed he was on the other side of their species' war. Very intriguing.

The last rope on Hiro's body - the one around his neck - snapped, falling limply to the ground. The dragon would have sighed in relief if he could, but even doing that was a risk.

The brunet- no,  _Haddock,_ skittered back, looking up into his eyes as if expecting him to attack. Hiro just stared back at the boy, the gears in his brain churning rapidly. There was something about him... Something that Hiro, even at his young age as a dragon, could see in the skinny little squire... It was  _greatness_. He may have been lanky and wimpy-looking now, but Hiro could see that this boy's mind worked differently from the old men's.

Haddock would bring change - change for the better. He had many things to look up to.

Hiro's nostrils flared as he took in the squire's scent and memorized it, categorizing it in a mental alcove for later on. He would return the human's kindness when he had the chance.

With deliberate slowness, Hiro blinked and slid his eyes surreptitiously to the side to get a glance at his brother.

Tadashi was burning part of the forest now, flushing out and crushing anything that fled into view. Deer, squirrels, birds, horses and men alike scrambled away from the heat, only to be met with an ultimate bitter end.

Hiro recalculated. Two minutes; Tadashi should be done within that time if nothing else decided to appear and catch his attention.

"Haddock,  _now,_ " he heard the female hiss tightly through her teeth. When Hiro looked back at the blonde, her eyes flickered from him to the squire and to the edge of the clearing, looking scared and determined at the same time. She grabbed the boy's wrist and shifted her body away from the dragon.

Hiro's eyes widened. No! If they ran now, they were for sure going to enter Tadashi's field of view! The little Hamada was torn between letting them go and get roasted by his brother, and stopping them from leaving. Both were a bad idea - after all, Hiro had a sense of honor and also a sense of self-preservation.

Before the younger Hamada could make up his mind on what to do, the two humans were racing across the meadow, diagonal from his older brother's position and directly behind him.

_Damn it all!_

The younger dragon felt a jolt of alarm shoot down his spine when he saw Tadashi's head snap to the side, eyes focusing on the two figures sprinting on flat ground. He had already finished off all the knights; Revendale and Avidel were probably toasted alive in their gaudy armor, lying in a pile of ashes somewhere on the forest floor.

An image of the two kids in the same state sent guilt pooling low in his stomach.

Making a split second decision, Hiro heaved his body off the ground and dug his claws into soft earth, spreading his wings as far back as he could. He ignored the aching and stinging of his sensitive skin and taxed muscles. In one hard drag downwards, Hiro short towards the two humans, racing his brother to get to them first.

Luckily, his size was to his advantage.

Hiro swept them up in a tangle of limbs and scales, folding his wings around them as they tumbled once and skidded to an abrupt stop when Hiro managed to dig his claws into the grass and dirt beneath him. When he was reoriented, Hiro could hear the furious sound of his brother's wing beats and the low vibration of his growl - menacing and sending a cutthroat message.

A bullet of terror fled through Hiro. What had he just done? He was going to be attacked by his own brother because he was stupid enough to move, and the humans presently in his grasp were going to die with him!

Tadashi gave a shriek and swerved in the sky, head tipping down and hide coming up. Oh God.  _Oh God -_  he was going to dive for them. They were going to be torn to shreds. He was coming closer! What should he-

Shot with panic, Hiro decided to stop thinking and let his instincts take over.

The little dragon drew in a deep breath, the sharp smell of heart-fire and musk assaulting his nose now that Tadashi was closer. In one smooth move, the younger Hamada rolled his body into a tight ball, tucking the humans close to his chest and wrapping his wings around his head.

In an instant, he could feel the pheromone's effect stiffening his entire body and making each muscle go unnaturally still. Hiro's eyes fell shut and his breathing slowed drastically, his heartbeat following the pattern and crawling to a near halt.

 _Please don't attack us, please_ _don't attack us_ _, please_ _don't attack us_ _,_  he begged in his mind.

In Hiro's frozen state, he could feel one of the humans struggling in his hold, the other laying limp but breathing harshly against his arm. He had tucked them in tight enough that he was sure they wouldn't be able to draw any weapons on him, but the squirming of the girl still made him apprehensive.

Speaking of apprehensive, the sound of wind whistling past his brother's streamlined body was no longer there. Alternatively, it was replaced with the steady rhythm of wings.

Air brushed past the spines of Hiro's back, and he would have shivered, if not for the pheromones' handiwork. Just from the sensation alone, the smaller dragon could envision his brother hovering over his still form, Tadashi's rage-tinted brain wondering why his moving target had just disappeared from his radar.

The coal-black dragon waited anxiously for a few minutes as his brother flew elsewhere, screeching and killing off the last few things still able to move.

Finally, after a dozen solid minutes, there was a jarring  _thud_  as his brother landed, a noisy rustle informing Hiro that his wings were being tucked in.

Good - that was a good sign. His brother was calming down.

Hiro absently checked on the humans in his arms. The girl was calm now, and he could hear the squire talking to her in quiet, reassuring mumbles. It sounded technical (and slightly excited with a mix of awe in there), but Hiro didn't have the time to listen in on them.

A loud huff reached the young dragon's ears, and a sweet scent and that familiar musk washed over him. Slowly, one-by-one, his muscles relaxed; a tingling feeling slithering up his nerves from being held in one position for too long.

"Hiro..?" Came his brother's hesitant voice.

The little Hamada unfurled his wings slightly and raised his head, cracking his neck a few times. "Yeah?" he responded.

Tadashi padded over to him and licked his nose comfortingly. "Sorry about that. You okay?"

Hiro slid his head underneath his brother's chin, purring at the warmth that seeped through his scales. "Mmhmm," he hummed, content for the moment.

A shuffling against his chest brought him back to reality, and Hiro couldn't help but curse in his mind.

 _Crap._  How was he supposed to explain this to 'Dashi?

_Hurhur, sorry big bro, but I deliberately didn't breathe in your 'overprotective mom' pheromones so I could watch you wreck things and mess up those knights, but then I had to save these humans because I'm honour bound to them - the humans which were the very reason why you had a Fire Fit in the first place; but these ones are different because thescrawnyonesavedmylifebeforeyoudid._

Nope.  _Nope_.  ** _NOPE_**.

There was no way he was going to say that to his brother's face. First of all, he would have gotten a huge, two-hour long lecture about not following his instincts while Tadashi was in a Fit. Second, he would have been questioned why of all things he had saved  _humans -_  the very ones that were at war with their species for food and living space. Then he'd have to explain that the squire had actually stopped one of the knights from beheading him, which would in turn leave Tadashi guilty and grief stricken that he hadn't been there for his brother, and ultimately lead to overbearing coddling for a good month.

Hiro shuddered at the thought. He would rather swallow his tail.

Unfortunately, the humans didn't share his opinion on letting their presences being made known, and a loud, high-pitched hiccup came from within Hiro's arms.

The older Hamada looked down at his brother in surprise. "What was that?"

The little dragon avoided Tadashi's eyes and let out a nervous laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Another hiccup came from behind a curtain of coal-black wings. The smaller of the two wanted to groan.

Furrowing his eyebrows, the elder cocked his head. "Don't lie to me, Hiro Hamada."

Hiro gulped. Rolling onto his back, he slowly unfurled his wings, revealing the wriggling humans in his arms. Immediately, Tadashi's eyes darkened, the pupils sliding back into slits and flashing orange. A feral snarl lifted from deep in his chest. "Let go of them Hiro," he said menacingly.

The younger Hamada cringed, but hastened to explain. "Wait! 'Dashi- um, actually... these humans-..."

Tadashi's gaze flickered to Hiro's face and back to the brunet and blonde.

"They saved my life," he finished. A look of surprise flit across his brother's face, alarm settling in like a second skin. "They did  _what_?"

Hiro quickly gave Tadashi a run down from the very beginning, using vague details for some parts (his impromptu trip into the kingdom) and highlighting others (the development of his new technique).

His brother only nodded along and didn't comment. When he was finished with his tale, Tadashi eyed the boy in Hiro's arms thoughtfully, a shine of respect shimmering in his now caring brown orbs. "Let them go," he whispered softly.

Gently, Hiro rolled back to his front, placing the humans on the ground with a grunt.

The girl was quick to scramble out from beneath him, but the boy took his time getting up, much to the blonde's chagrin.

"Relax Astrid," he chuckled, strained. "They're not going to hurt us."

At the girl's splutter, he added, "This little guy here saved us." - _He's little?_ the girl squawked, eyeballing Hiro incredulously. The boy nodded and jerked his head in Tadashi's direction. "The bigger one was in a Fire Fit and was attacking anything that moved. And guess what we were doing?" he asked in a slight sarcastic tone.

Astrid scowled at him. Haddock grinned crookedly and looked to Hiro. "He stopped his buddy there from killing us."

Hiccup - Hiro decided to nickname the scrawny squire - turned to him and hesitantly reached out a hand to pat his stomach. "Didn't you?"

The movement was endearing and Hiro cooed, bowing his head to blow hot air into the other's hair. Hiccup chuckled and pushed at his snout, earning a small chattering sound from Tadashi. Hiro grinned at the dragon-ish giggle.

 _Looks like we've just made new friends,_  Hiro thought pleasantly, purring as Hiccup scratched under his chin and Astrid was slowly coaxed into joining. Tadashi stretched out on the grass a few meters away, keeping a watchful eye on his brother and the two interesting humans.

Maybe they wouldn't have to move into a high, jagged cave after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh goodness I have so many headcanons for these two as dragons! These magical creatures were my all-time favourite as a kid (and still are - I'm not grown up, what are you talking about?)
> 
> I was thinking that since I've already gone and introduced Hiccup and Astrid from HTTYD, why not Toothless? (Oh maaannn the ideas)
> 
> Also, the Hamadas will have a dragon species name, like how Toothless is a Nightfury. Try to guess what it is~ Or alternatively, tell me what you think they should be named! I'd like to hear your opinions and ideas :D


	7. Ears and Tail 02 – Claustrophobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't look at me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAYBE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH BULLYING. I KNOW THE FEEL BRO. HANG STRONG!

**CatBoys!Hidashi, Ears and Tail only**

* * *

"Speaker and voice box volume input?"

"Check."

"Maneuverability of carbon fiber skeleton?"

"Double check."

"Hyper spectral cameras and scanner?"

"Triple-decker sandwich of check."

"Medicine canisters?"

"Again, check."

"Battery?"

"Oh, would you look at that? Another check."

"Video monitor, defibrillators, heater and stash of lollipops? "

"Check, check, check aaand... Check."

"Huggable design?"

Hiro poked at Baymax's stomach with his toe. "Heh, as soft as a marshmallow, big bro."

Tadashi smiled and rubbed his hands together, jostling Hiro a bit from his perch. "Alright, then let's fire this guy up!"

The teen climbed off his brother's shoulders from the position they were working in when his brother crouched to let him off. With an excited bounce, he said, "Ready? On one, two-"

With the unspoken three left hanging in the air, both brothers said in sync, "Ow."

A mechanical whir filled the air briefly before Baymax straightened from his slumped deactivated stance, blinking and turning to observe them.

"Hey big guy," Hiro chirped, going up to the robot to pat it on the stomach. "How're you feeling?"

Baymax didn't respond.

The smile on the younger Hamada's face melted. "Uh... Baymax?" Hiro waved a hand in front of the bot's 'eyes' before he backed off and sent a concerned glance to his brother when the robotic nurse said nothing - not even reacting to the sound of his voice nor his blatant attempt at getting his attention. "What's wrong with him? He's not saying anything."

Tadashi lifted a brow and circled the bot, tail flicking out anxiously behind him. Baymax couldn't be malfunctioning already! They just fixed him! "That doesn't make sense, we checked everything over-"

The older Hamada cut himself off and turned to Hiro with a knowing look. "Did you mess with his chip again Hiro?"

"I- uh..." At the accusation, the teen gulped and his ears flipped back in a telling sign. _Crap, I forgot to return the chip last night!_  Hiro thought hurriedly.

Tadashi turned to Baymax before the teen could fish out a response and poked him over his access port. Sure enough, when the dock popped out of the bot, the slots were empty. The young adult shook his head and sighed, eyeing his brother wearily. "What did you do this time?"

Hiro knew he wouldn't be able to lie about this one. He twiddled his thumbs, and when that did nothing to ease his nerves, he looked to the floor abashedly and rolled the hem of his shirt between his fingers. "Um, I may or may not have... Inputted a database dedicated solely to flavours of gummy bears?" He looked up with a guilty grin on his face, showing off that gap-tooth that he knew made Tadashi melt.

The elder of the two only groaned and buried his face in his hands, peeking through his fingers and sending his younger brother an unimpressed look. " _Gummy bears?_  Seriously Hiro?"

"Hey!" Hiro shouted indignantly, ready to defend his precious snack items. "Gummy bears are the heart and soul of the entire universe! They make living on Earth worthwhile. If they had them on Mars and not Earth, I'd have been born there instead."

Tadashi rolled his eyes at his brother's over dramatic argument and pushed at Hiro's head. "Whatever nerdling, just go get the chip. You probably have it somewhere on you, right? Please say you do, otherwise we can't get to finishing Baymax's upgrades."

Hiro scoffed playfully, already grabbing Tadashi's hat off of his brother's head to cover his own ears and tucking his long, black tail under his shirt. "Of course I do. It's in the locker room with my other stuff."

The older Hamada called after him just as Hiro opened the door to their shared lab. "Make it quick, break's about to start in half an hour. I wanna finish checking Baymax's upgrades before then!"

The teen spun on his heel to face his brother and mock saluted him. "Yes, Nerdlord! Your wish is my command!"

With a snicker, Hiro jogged down the hall - passing the main lab and greeting a few people in the shared space – before rushing off with hurried words and a few waves.

By the time he reached the locker room, Hiro's ears were starting to throb from being trapped under the hat and his tail was beginning to twitch from being held against the line of his back in such a stiff position. The teen huffed. This was the only doubt he had had about enrolling into SFIT two months prior.

Hiding your identity as a hybrid wasn't exactly easy work, what with the extra appendages.

He knew Honey Lemon, being a parrot, couldn't exactly hide the colourful array of feathers that sprouted from her back and trailed down to her ankles. Luckily she was well-liked and sociable. Gogo on the other hand, just didn't care that people knew she was a cheeta hybrid and Wasabi fit pretty well into his gorilla image, so not many people questioned him. Fred was also pretty hard to figure out - he was a gecko, but with him being a comic fanatic and in a mascot costume most of the time, people just didn't question his lizard tail anymore.

Tadashi and Hiro were a different story, however. There were people that held grudges against the Hamada brothers because they were smart - too smart, in their opinion. The elder of the two didn't want them to be even more ostracized when being a hybrid was thrown into the mix. That's why Hiro was forced to hide his identity as a black panther-house cat mix.

Hiro was quick to obey his brother when he enrolled, the nightmares of bullies past still occasionally haunting him in the dead of night. He didn't need people coming after him in college - he'd had enough of that in high school.

The teen sighed. He didn't regret joining SFIT though - after all, he got unlimited supplies for all of his projects he wasn't able to create in Aunt Cass' little garage, a challenge for his too-big brain, and to top it all off, he got to spend time with Tadashi in their now shared lab. It was great.

Hiro stepped into the empty room and pulled the San Fransokyo Ninjas cap off his head, scrubbing a hand through his hair the same way he'd seen Tadashi do all those times when he came back from school. He sighed in relief as he finally let his tail slip out from underneath the hem of his shirt.

It couldn't hurt having them out, right? Class was still in session and nobody would come into the locker rooms for another half hour. He only needed to grab one thing; in and out, simple as that.

Hiro skipped over to his and Tadashi's shared locker, easily punching in the code for the small numlock above the handle. Just as he swung open the locker, voices came from outside of the door - voices that sent shivers down Hiro's spine and apprehension coiling low in his gut.

The locker room's door was pushed open and Hiro stood frozen in shock, heart stuttering and staring dumbly at the group of three seniors who had just entered. They were the ones who had been harassing him during class for being too smart and Callaghan's favourite student since the third week Hiro had enrolled into the college.

"Oh? What do we have here? It's Hamada Jr. guys!" The leader of the group smirked, turning to his friends and sharing a sickeningly devious smirk. "What are  _you_  doi-"

The man paused when he saw the pointed cat ears quivering atop Hiro's head and the coal-black tail puffed out behind the teen. His smirk turned into a sneer. "I see how it is. Hamada Jr.'s a  _hybrid_."

The stunned look on the other two goons' faces turned into wicked grins. The guy on the left scoffed. "That explains why he's so damn smart."

The last goon crossed his arms over his chest and stepped closer to Hiro. "It's 'cause he's genetically modified." His face got uncomfortably close. "Aren't you,  _freak?_ "

With the last word, he shoved the teen into the locker door, a sharp bang echoing through the changing room.

Hiro's heart was pounding - pounding so hard he thought it would crawl out of his throat and strangle him before he had the chance to breathe. Either that, or throw up and pass out.

His mind stopped and grasped desperately for a witty comeback, but the only functioning part of his brain told him to hold his tongue. They would go away if he didn't say anything. He didn't need to make the situation worse.

A bruising grip on his bicep brought Hiro out of his mental debating, a small sound of shock leaving him. He struggled against the hold, tail lashing and fingers clawing at the meaty hand tugging him around like a ragdoll.

The second goon cuffed him, stopping his struggles as he dealt with the pain. The man leaned in, hissing in the teen's face, "Say something. You're a freak, aren't you?"

The younger Hamada stumbled for words, only getting out a few jumbled sentences that didn't make sense, even to him. Hiro felt his knees go weak and his palms going slick with sweat. He felt like the floor was spinning - faltering beneath his feet.

The leader sneered at him. "Aw, isn't that a sorry sight? The little kitty-cat is too scared to say anything. And I thought you were supposed to be the genius. Go on, say the facts: you're a freak."

Hiro was pinned on both sides now, one person on each side holding his arms. He didn't know what to do. This was a repeat of his nightmares from high school. A lump of fear formed in the teen's throat, choking him.

"T-Tadashi..." he called weakly under his breath, praying for his brother to bust in and protect him as he had so many times in the past.

"Whoa!" the first goon exclaimed, leaning back from Hiro. "This guy's calling for big bro to come and save him! I guess that makes him a  _scaredy-cat_!"

The ring leader smirked and leaned in to grip Hiro's face by his cheeks, hand covering his mouth in a pinching vice. The teen bit his lip to avoid the cry that was sure to escape his mouth.

"Calling Hamada Sr. to come and help you?" He shook his head and rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Oh, I'm petrified! You know what?" he snarled, "Big bro's not coming. And even if he did, what's he gonna do? He's a skinny little mutt; a half breed like you."

Hiro couldn't help himself. Before his brain could catch up with his smart-alec mouth, he had already blurted out against the thick hand covering his lips, "So that makes you better than him, having two guys to back up your non-existent muscle?"

With a snarl, the leader gripped a fistful of Hiro's bangs, dragging his head forward and then shoving it back into the metal of the lockers.

The younger Hamada saw stars, his skull throbbing over the place where it had made harsh contact with the cold surface of his long-time enemy. He let out a groan of pain.

"At least I'm normal. You're just a monster," the senior hissed between clenched teeth.

" 'm not a monster," Hiro mumbled before he could stop. He cursed his inability to leave things as was without having the last word.

The breath was knocked out of the boy when a fist came flying into his stomach. He gagged.

"No, you're not a monster. You're a freaking mutation," the senior growled. He made a dismissive hand motion. "Throw him into the locker. He deserves it."

Hiro's eyes flew wide open. No, not the locker! Not again- anything but that!

"N-no, wait please," he cried, struggling against the tight hold on his arms. "Please! No!"

Hands were all over him, pushing and shoving Hiro into a cramped space that he was all-too familiar with. The younger Hamada grasped at the outstretched arms shoving him back whenever he tried to pull himself out of the locker. "Stop! Please, don't-!"

He yelped in pain when a foot stomped over his tail that was hanging out of the metal box, and cradled it to his chest. The moment of inattention cost him though, as that was all the time the bullies needed to shut the locker door on him with a cringe-worthy slam and an almost inaudible click of the automatic lock sliding into place.

Hiro paled in the darkness. "Please, let me out! Open it up! Please!"

The teen banged his fists into the closed door, hearing the trio's snickers through the cold metal. He was breathing hard, his heart pulsing in his ears and blood rushing through his head. A terrified whine escaped the genius' throat and tears stung his eyes, turning his vision blurry.

"Please," he whispered desperately. Hiro curled in on himself, tucking his head in between his knees and wrapping cupped hands over his ears. "Nii-chan," he cried quietly.

The enclosed space seemed to be getting smaller, shrinking around the boy until he was gasping for breath that wouldn't come and couldn't fill his lungs. He knew he was hyperventilating; he knew he was having a panic attack; he knew he had claustrophobia.

All of that knowledge didn't help him escape it.

Hiro screamed.

Through the ear-shattering echo from within the locker, Hiro could hear over his own laboured breathing to catch the threat that left him with a vacant feeling of dread.

"We'll see you in class,  _freak._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so cruel hahaha...haha...ha... *sobs* (Sorry for non-existent writing style OTL I can't keep to one type)
> 
> Next will be the Bird!AU~ (Or maybe the Dragon AU... Continuation of this chapter? IDK. All depends on how I want to get rid of my finals stress T^T)


	8. Wings 02 – The Man in the Mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys don't mind, but I'm going to be taking a break from Once-Chance until after I finish my exams. I'll keep updating for Paw Prints though, since writing small one-shots will help me relieve stress and keep my game up until I get back to writing emotionally scarring chapters :D
> 
> WHOOPS REALLY SHORT – I SHOULD BE STUDYING FORGIVE ME

 

 

 

**BirdHybrids!Hidashi, Anthro**

* * *

"A hundred-twenty thousand!"

"A hundred-fifty!"

"Seventy five!"

"Two hundred sixty!"

The rest of the shouts dissolved into hurried debating, words tossed back here and there over how much each person had and matters that were of no consequence to the man standing on the stage.

The auctioneer kept a sharp ear out for prices, loving the music of greed ring out from the mass of voices in front of him. If this kept up, he wouldn't have to rush to collect for the next auction for another month or so. Oh man, this job was so lucrative!

When no one went past the three hundred thousand mark, Henry lifted his cane in a challenging gesture, smirking devilishly. "Is that it?" He scanned the crowd. "Three hundred thousand for the Hamada Brothers! Going once, going twice..."

As expected, a final voice shouted out, "Five hundred thousand!"

Matsuoshita grinned like a shark, pointing the end of his staff towards the man who had his placard raised. "That's what I like to hear! Going once, going twice...!" Henry turned towards the cage, gripping the bars and eyes sparkling in hunger. "Sol-!"

"-One million," a voice rang out. It was low and slightly garbled near the end – altered.

_Dangerous._

The hall went deathly silent and the auctioneer raised an eyebrow, still facing the cage. That was a hefty sum for people in the underground – not many people threw out that much cash in fear of the under-the-table exchange being caught; not that he was complaining.

But still – everything about this unseen person screamed suspicious.

Matsuoshita slowly swivelled on his heel, happy face gone and eyes narrowed in sharp distrust. "One million?" He asked doubtfully, tilting his head to regard his audience. A tense quiet vibrated in the air.

From the corner of the auctioneer's sight, a shadowed figure moved smoothly between people, slipping its way to the front. Yellow eyes flashed, stripes of blood red making a shiver travel down Henry's spine.

When the man finally stepped out of the crowd, he stood sturdy and intimidating, even from his position from the auction floor. Dangerous. Definitely dangerous.

"One million," the computerized voice confirmed, tone final.

Henry Matsuoshita regarded the figure warily, his face turning to the side to move the man out of the proximity of his blind spot and turning his nose up. The stare down was edgy, each party quietly contemplating the other.

With a sniff, the auctioneer tapped his cane against the bars of the cage, eyes never leaving the black trench coat. "One million it is," Henry whispered. His voice could be heard even with the abandoned warehouse filled with people.

The auctioneer turned to the crowd and a little louder, said, "Going once – anyone else? Going  _twice_..."

Not a soul dared to raise their placards.

Henry suppressed a scowl. He didn't enjoy selling to weirdoes, no matter his reputation of interacting with shady individuals.

Still, nobody moved a muscle.

"Sold, to the man in the kabuki mask!" Matsuoshita exclaimed without cheer.

A buzz rippled through the air and the auctioneer forced a smile to appear on his thin lips.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my greatest gratitude for attending the Silent Sparrow tonight. Those who have won a bid, please meet in the back with your money in hard cash. The trade off will commence in thirty minutes."

With a final, clipped bow at the waist, Henry repeated his signature opening move. He lifted his crested cane and tapped it twice before swinging it to the side in a large sweep of his arm.

" _Owari desu,_ " he announced, falling back into Japanese. " _The End!_ "

The old curtains folded neatly at the end of the stage stared to move, and with it, so did the people. The shuffle of feet and drifting voices filled Henry's ears as those who had came for entertainment or the hope of winning something filed out in hoards.

As the red stage curtains met in the middle of the platform, Matsuoshita shuddered. "He's like a ghost – a  _youkai_ ," the auctioneer murmured to himself, turning to go backstage and ready the auctioned items for trade.

The man absently contemplated how many hours of sleep he would be able to get that night.

After all, he didn't think he'd be able to get the image out of his head – a still picture frozen in time of the moonlit warehouse remaining seared into his memory.

Henry Matsuoshita had seen many things, but as he wheeled away the golden bird cage – two black lumps once again unmoving – two yellow eyes and stripes of red haunted him.


	9. Ears and Tail 03 – Exposed

**CatBoys!Hidashi, Ears and Tail only**

**Cheetah!Gogo, Parrot!Honey, Gecko!Fred, Gorilla!Wasabi**

* * *

Tadashi was worried. Well, more worried than usual.

Hiro had left almost half an hour ago, and their break was starting in a couple of minutes. He shouldn't have taken that long just to retrieve Baymax's chip, and Tadashi knew that his brother wouldn't get distracted by something so much so that he'd just run off and leave him waiting.

The door to his personal lab slid open, and the older Hamada turned to the entrant - a scolding on his tongue about Hiro taking his precious time and worrying Tadashi - before he realized who it was.

Honey Lemon bounced into the room with a cheerful chatter and the slight flare of yellow-pink-green wings.

Tadashi flinched. He still wasn't used to anyone but Hiro coming into his personal work space, and it honestly felt a bit like an invasion of privacy when anyone other than his little brother burst through those doors.

"Hey, Tadashi! We're going to go out to the cafeteria for lunch, are you going to join us?"

"Uh, sorry Honey Lemon. I'm still waiting for Hiro."

Gogo Tamago appeared behind the tall blonde and popped a bubble, her ears flickering. "It's been half an hour since he passed the nerd lab. It's lunch already," she stated blandly.

Wasabi was quick to join in the conversation, Fred trailing nonchalantly behind. "What's going on?" they asked in tandem.

The cheetah-mix turned to the Afro-American, jerking her thumb towards Tadashi and deadpanned, "The pipsqueak's taking his precious time in the locker room getting something and this nerd here is going to wait for him."

Fred peeked over Wasabi's shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "I saw the little dude go past the labs, but I didn't see him return."

The gecko rubbed his chin. "In fact, I think I saw Ritchie and his friends walking in the same direction," he commented absentmindedly. "They're kinda like the common low-class villain you see in those comic books who are bullies to the heroes when they first develop their powers. Like Spider Man!"

" _What did you say?_ " Gogo snarled, grabbing Fred by the collar and bringing her face so close to his, their noses were touching. The wild cat's tail thrashed violently behind her in a show of sudden irritation.

"Like Spider Man?" The lizard squeaked out, unsettled by the change in their friend's attitude.

"No, who did you say you saw going in the same direction?" she questioned with a growl.

"R-Ritchie and his friends," Fred got out. When Gogo pulled away, the rest of the gang were finally able see why the gecko-mix had turned a ghastly shade of white.

Gogo's eyes were narrowed dangerously, and her pupils were contracted into slits. A crease had crinkled in between her brows as she snarled, flashing her bared fangs.

A nervous chitter left Honey. Wasabi gasped, mouthing "Oh, mama," under his breath, and Tadashi shuffled - trying not to twitch at the intimidation he felt at seeing his friend's outright aggression.

"He's the guy who keeps picking on the runt! I thought I told them to stay away from him!" Gogo scowled to herself, sheathing her fangs once she noticed the way the gang shirked away from her anger.

A bad feeling twisted in Tadashi's gut. "What?" he asked numbly.

Gogo glanced sidelong at the cat-mix. "Last week I was going to get myself a canned coffee from the vending machine down that one hallway past Hiro's mechanics class and I saw those jerks backing your little brother up against a wall," she explained impatiently.

Tadashi's eyes were as round as saucers as dread pooled low in his stomach with the slippery chill of ice.

"I warned them not to touch a hair on the pipsqueak's head, otherwise they'd get it. They ran off and that was supposed to be the end of that," Gogo blew a bubble and popped it with more force than necessary.

Behind her, Honey, Fred and Wasabi flinched.

"But I guess they still haven't learned their lesson," she growled. "They're all idiots. It's not surprising that they didn't recognize a death threat when they heard one."

Tadashi balked at the story. "Why didn't you tell me?" he nearly screeched.

"I-" Gogo began, but before another syllable had left her mouth, Tadashi was already running out of the lab faster than anyone had blinked.

A second of stunned silence weighed on the hybrids before a squeak caught their attention.

"Um... guys?" Honey asked hesitantly. She held up Tadashi's spare baseball cap that he kept hanging on the lab's cluttered desk lamp in case something happened to his beloved San Fransokyo Ninjas hat.

Wasabi gasped and the rest of them paled. All four of the hybrids turned to look out the open doors of Tadashi's lab.

Honey Lemon was the first to break the uneasy silence.

"He didn't tuck his tail in either, did he?"

* * *

Tadashi was already halfway down the hall to the locker rooms when he saw them.

Ritchie and his goons were walking at a leisurely pace, postures slumped and cocky as they smacked each other's arms, laughing in quiet snickers like they were sharing a good joke.

The older Hamada skidded to a stop in front of them, breathing hard and looking ruffled. "Where?" Tadashi demanded breathlessly, eyes wide and chest heaving.

"Hamada Sr.," Ritchie said, lifting a bushy eyebrow, "looking kind of...windswept, aren't ya? Did something..." the bully smirked, tilting his head to the side mock-innocently. "Get under your fur?"

Tadashi hurriedly lifted a hand to his head to run his fingers through his hair, the spaces between his fingers catching on his ears. Hair... Ears...

_Fuck._

The older Hamada's eyes widened and when his head whipped back, Tadashi caught sight of his obsidian tail standing straight and frizzled behind him.

Crap, he hadn't been paying attention before he had left his lab, and now he was completely exposed!

The cat-mix mentally shook himself.

No! That didn't matter right now; he could deal with these jerks. The person he needed to protect right now wasn't himself – it was Hiro.

Tadashi opened his mouth – about to roll some sort of cosplay excuse off his tongue and question them again about his little brother – when the guy on the left of Ritchie interrupted him.

The first crony chuckled light heartedly and waved a hand in a flippant gesture, flicking his wrist to indicate the still perked ears atop Tadashi's head. "It's okay, we already knew!" he said a little too cheerfully. "Hamada Jr. was kind enough to tell us before we left."

The mention of Hiro caught the cat-hybrid's attention, a sense of urgency spiking up his spine at the ominous words. Tadashi's jaw snapped closed. With a scowl, the corner of his lips turned down in a firm press and his ears flipped back against his head. He narrowed his eyes at the three standing in front of him.

"Where is he? Tell me where," the older Hamada asked, tone borderline harsh and with a tinge of desperation colouring his words.

"What are you talking about? You're making no sense," the second crony griped, pulling a perplexed face.

The cat smothered a scoff before it could come out. He wasn't stupid. He knew that expression was fake. Tadashi had been able to see through all of Hiro's lies before, and his little brother was a  _marginally_  better liar than these goons.

Tadashi's heart jumpstarted and beat wildly against his ribcage when an image of his little brother - beat up and lying on the floor battered and bruised somewhere in the building - flashed before him.

Unbidden, a growl left his chest. It wasn't like him to be so hostile, but not knowing what state Hiro was in (and talking to his brother's past tormentors) was not helping the older Hamada's agitated mood.

Ritchie held up two hands in a surrendering gesture and moved to stand in front of his pal. "Whoa there, no need to get all  _freaky_ on us - just confused a little. Let me rephrase: where's what? Are you looking for something?"

The man paused and the flicker of a smirk lifted the corner of his lips briefly. "Or is it  _someone_?"

Tadashi held back a snarl. These people were really testing his patience. "Hiro. Where is he?" he snapped tersely.

The gang leader smiled sickly sweet. "Well, last we saw him, he was enjoying his own little space...  _Alone._ "

The insinuation in his voice was enough to send hypothetical situations racing through Tadashi's mind – and none of them were good. Dread pooled low in the older Hamada's stomach. At the same time, a burning hatred flared up, filling his limbs with static.

In an impulsive move, Tadashi grabbed Ritchie's shirt collar, bringing their faces close enough that their noses were barely an inch apart.

" _Tell me where he is!_ " he hissed, pupils contracting and slitting – flashing dangerously.

From the distance they were at, the older Hamada could see the sweat collecting on the senior's face, and the sharp, tangy scent of fear filled his nostrils.

"H-hey, no need to get violent," Ritchie squeaked. "T-the last we saw of your little genius was a few minutes ago!"

"A few minutes ago is not a  _place_ , Ritchie," Tadashi rumbled. "Now where is my younger brother?"

Shaking now, the senior lifted his shoulders in a hesitant, non-committal shrug. Behind him, the other two followed the gesture. "W-we don't know..."

Tadashi released the jerk with a growl, shoving Ritchie with a little more force than necessary. The bully stumbled back, but regained his footing at the last moment.

Ritchie rubbed at his neck. "Freak," he muttered, backing up so he was once again flanked by his goons.

The older Hamada huffed in their direction and swerved around them, hackles raised in the form of hunched shoulders.

These idiots wouldn't give him a straight answer, even though Tadashi was 98% sure they knew where Hiro was. There was no use wasting his time picking a fight with them when he had to find his younger brother. For now, he would let the derisive comment go.

Tadashi paced agitatedly in one spot, his tail thrashing behind him and low growls leaving his chest.

He needed to look at this from another angle; use that big brain of his-

Through the haze of panic and feral anger that filled his head, Tadashi vaguely recalled that Hiro was wearing a hoodie.

And all of Hiro's hoodies had trackers in them.

Yanking his arm up, the cat-hybrid held his wrist to his face, revealing the watch he had modified himself. With a few presses to the buttons in a specific order, the little clock gave a beep and changed the LED number display from the time to a map.

Tadashi wanted to yell in triumph. There, on the little screen of his watch, was a blinking red dot, flickering in one place: the locker rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Egg-chan here; just wondering, but which villain did you like/hate the most? I'm planning on making another story strain (either a mermaid/faerie AU), but I'm not sure if I want to make another villain. Henceforth, the thought of reusing.
> 
> So far, these are the contenders (you can just pick one of them or altogether/in groups):
> 
> -Henry Matsuoshita (from Wings)  
> -Avidel and Revendale (from Fire and Death)  
> -Ritchie and his goons (from Ears and Tail)  
> -Tadashi (Why Tadashi you say? Yandere!Tadashi, that's why.)  
> -Callaghan/Krei/Abigail  
> -Other/New?
> 
> Please vote! It'll help me get out the new chapter faster! ;D


	10. Handprint 01 - Monster Under The Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really an animal AU, but hey, who said humans aren't animals in the first place? Just a little something to tide you guys over ;)

 

**Human/Regular AU**

**(Kiddy!Hiro and Pre-Teen!Dashi)**

* * *

**Hiro Hamada, Grade 1 Creative Writing (English) Class** **:**

"What is under my bed...?" Hiro murmured to himself, squinting at the blackboard and grimacing. "That's such a stupid question."

The child looked down at the empty lined page of his notebook, glaring at it as if his assignment would write itself if he stared hard enough.

When after several minutes of this, nothing magically appeared, the little Hamada gave a long sigh and picked up his unsharpened pencil from his desk's cold surface.

Hiro wrote the first line and scowled at his messy scrawl. The pencil was dull. The crooked ' _Tuesday, May 25th_ ' stared back at him mockingly.

Whatever; it wasn't like the teachers really checked the date anyway.

"What. Is. Under. My. Bed," Hiro mumbled, tapping his pencil against his head with each word.

The gradeschooler's eyes roamed around the classroom for an answer. Obviously, he could be blunt and just answer that he shoved his dirty laundry under there, but if Aunt Cass came over for parent interview night and looked through his notebook, then he would be in for a whooping (not that she'd actually hit him or anything - he'd probably just get an ear full and then a shove from Tadashi for stressing their aunt).

Hiro scribbled a little robot in the margins of his journal (it was really just one of those cheap notebooks, but who was he to complain?), a deep frown forming on his chubby face as he thought.

"What... Is under my bed..."

Hiro's eyes lit up in mischievousness.

"I know just the thing!" he nearly shouted, scaring a few of his classmates who were sitting beside him and making his teacher jump slightly from his position across the room.

Hiro's tongue stuck out of the corner of his lips as his head lowered close to his paper. It was perfect; this was the absolute perfect answer.

The young Hamada wrote two words on his page and wiped an arm over his brow, blowing out a breath of relief.

There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?

* * *

**The Day of Parent Teacher Interviews:**

"Hi, you must be Ms. Hamada," Hiro's teacher greeted Cass, walking up to her and shaking her hand. "I'm Mr. Haddock, your son's-"

"-Nephew's," Aunt Cass corrected, glancing at Hiro who stood beside Tadashi who had tagged along for the younger's PT interview. It was Hiro's first, and though he wasn't nervous by any means, Tadashi had come along to support his baby brother anyways.

The brunet blinked in surprise for a few seconds before he gave a sheepish smile and lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck. "Oh, I'm sorry; your _nephew's_  teacher."

Mr. Haddock sat down behind his teacher's desk and gestured to the chair in front of it. "Please, have a seat."

Hiro tugged on the hem of the brunet's green shirt, the other hand pointing to the corner of the room where the bookshelves sat collecting dust. "Hiccup, it okay if I read books over there with 'Dashi?"

"Go ahead," the teacher responded, attention momentarily pulled away from the person he was supposed to talk to about a certain...  _issue_.

"Thanks Hiccup!" the child chirped before skipping over to his brother and tugging him along to view his favourite reads.

Cass' eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "Hiccup?" she asked, looking at the teacher in front of her with a startled expression.

The man let out a meek laugh, a crooked smile pulling at his lips and a blush forming on freckled cheeks. "That's what the kids call me. The nickname came from the first day of school when I had a bad case of the hiccups that I couldn't stop until the end of the day."

Aunt Cass chuckled behind a hand. "That's an interesting nickname to have."

Mr. Haddock smiled. "I don't mind too much. It makes it easier for the kids to remember."

His expression quickly sobered. "Now, about Hiro..."

Catching the change in atmosphere, Cass straightened in her seat and nodded to show she was listening. The brunet heaved a sigh and Aunt Cass prepared herself for the worst.

"Recently, the board has made a new requirement for children from grades one to eight to write a daily creative writing journal before first period. And Hiro..."

The teacher's expression scrunched up as he tried to think of the right words to express their slight predicament.

"Hiro is a very smart child," he started, "and I don't doubt that he is smart enough to skip grades. However, in one journal entry, I've found an answer that is sort of...  _problematic_ , for lack of better word choice."

Cass' eyes were wide in disbelief. "Problematic?" she asked apprehensively. Oh jelly donuts, what had Hiro gotten himself into now?

Hiccup took in a breath. "Well... Most students had wrote something age-appropriate, but Hiro has..." The teacher trailed off uncertainly and gestured helplessly with his hands.

Aunt Cass groaned and buried her face behind her hands. "What did he write?" she mumbled resignedly.

With a sigh, Mr. haddock pulled out Hiro's white and blue journal and began flipping through the pages. Once he found what he was looking for, he placed the book spine-down and open for Aunt Cass to read.

There, on the mostly blank page, was the title, "What is under your bed?" in bold, capital letters - the teacher's writing.

And underneath it, was the two word answer scrawled out in Hiro's chicken scratch writing:

"A nerd."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Still laughing* *Rolls away into oblivion*
> 
> P.S. I really need you guys to vote for the villain in the new story strain! I can't do much with the votes I have now. Poll is still up! Vote soon - the deadline will be Valentine's Day.
> 
> Also, while your at it, what would you like more? Faerie or Mermaid AU?


	11. Ears and Tail 04 – First Instinct Is Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter feels awkward; this subject is a bit touchy for me, and reliving it in my writing is both therapeutic and anxiety-inducing. But nonetheless, I wanted to write it, so here it is!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADCANON!
> 
> In the book Hiro's Journal, there is a part where Hiro writes there/they're/their and crosses the first two out, following it by the words, "Why is English so hard?" in brackets. This lead me to believe that English was not Hiro and Tadashi's first language - Japanese is.
> 
> In this instance, when Hiro is under a lot of pressure - so much so that he "cracks" - he reverts to the most basic functions. He will act childish and will rarely respond when spoken to; in which case, Tadashi must talk to him in Japanese, because regardless of how many years ago Hiro had discontinued the language's use, it was still his first form of communication and will be the only thing that he will register in his "shut down" state.
> 
> (Not to say he doesn't use it normally - just rarely, since no one other than Tadashi knows Japanese and he doesn't like socializing with strangers.)

**CatBoys!Hidashi, Ears and Tail only**

* * *

Sprinting down the polished hallways, the older Hamada dodged around corners and wound around the spare people that loitered the corridors, uncaring that his tail twisted behind him in plain sight.

When he reached the changing room, Tadashi kicked the door open in a rare show of his hidden power and took a step in, doubling over with his hands on his knees as he paused to catch his breath.

"Hiro!" he called as he straightened, sharp ears swiveling atop his head to listen to the echo of his own voice and the subtle _drip-drop_ from one of the shower's leaky faucets near the back.

It was completely silent except for Tadashi's harsh breaths, and the older cat-hybrid walked down one of the isles, ears twitching. "Hiro?" he called again, clearer this time now that he was breathing properly.

Then he heard it – muffled screams bouncing around in what sounded like an enclosed space. Following the tinny yells was intermediate banging, and Tadashi's heart stopped, dropped, and rolled.

Hiro.

Hiro was in a locker.

Shit. Shit, shit, _shit_.

The loud sound of his brother crying guided the older Hamada to the back of the changing room, and surprise, surprise. The locker was theirs.

What. The. _Hell._

A blinding flash of rage filled Tadashi's vision, colouring it red for all but seconds before the cat-hybrid reigned in his wrath. He could go after Ritchie and his goons later. Right now he had to get Hiro out of their locker.

"Hiro, it's me; I'm going to open the locker, okay?" the older Hamada said softly, knowing that if he were to suddenly open the door without warning, he would send his brother into shock.

The sobbing didn't stop.

Crap. Hiro was too far gone to hear him.

"Hiro?" Tadashi tried again, careful not to rattle the door as he leaned in to press his ear to the cold, biting metal.

" _Dare ka, onegai... Tasukete!_ " ( _Someone, please... Save me!_ ) the elder heard being sobbed between large gasping breaths.

At the sound, the older Hamada began beating himself up internally. He felt sick; Hiro only reverted to using Japanese when he was sent into hysterics and couldn't remember any English.

Why hadn't he noticed faster? Why hadn't Tadashi gone with him? This was all his fault - if only he had been watching over Hiro better. How had the other been found out anyway? Tadashi was sure that Hiro had taken his hat before he left.

The answer lay on the floor, not two feet away from him.

Abandoned on the whitewash tiles of the institute's change room was Tadashi's San Fransokyo Ninjas cap, tipped over and crumpled. There were footprints on it - like someone had trampled on it purposely.

Purposely.

This was all done purposely.

A pang of despair shot into Tadashi's heart. This wasn't how he wanted Hiro to live his life; surrounded by individuals that mocked him and targeted him on purpose - hunting for his blood. Tadashi had brought Hiro here for a reason, and now this was undoing all the efforts he had put into getting his little brother back on the right track!

Quickly, Tadashi turned his head back to the rattling locker door and with trembling fingers, he pressed the keys on the number pad with precision coming only from habit. Creaking the door open, the cat-mix crouched down so he was on the same level as his brother.

What he saw when he opened that door fully broke his heart.

Hiro was curled into a tight ball, hands clenching and unclenching in his red t-shirt and breaths coming in short gasps between harsh sobs and loud whimpers as his whole body was wracked with uncontrollable shudders.

The teen's tail was limp and frazzled - it looked sort of flattened near the end, like someone had gone over the fur with a rolling pin - and his ears were pinned back so close to his head, Tadashi almost thought he'd lost them; they were tucked away in such a manner that his brother's hair stuck out more than they did.

Tadashi watched worriedly as his brother rocked back and forth rapidly in what he assumed was Hiro's last line of defense from completely loosing it.

"H-Hiro...?" the older Hamada whispered carefully into the echoing locker.

The only response he got was a choking splutter and a wail of despair. Tadashi grit his teeth. How long had Hiro been in here?

The younger Hamada let out another desperate cry, sobbing one coherent thing: _Nii-chan!_

Tadashi sucked in a breath. It had been _ages_ since his younger brother had called him by that name. It used to be a fond endearment, but now the older of the two dreaded hearing that nostalgic namesake; it meant that Hiro had gone into a panic attack and would need to be calmed and coerced back into reality.

Gently stretching his arms out, Tadashi tried to bring Hiro into his embrace, but was stopped when the teen lashed out with a scream, feet kicking and arms flailing wildly. A solid hit landed on the elder's chest, but he refused to move.

"Hiro," he said levelly, "ochitsuite." ( _Hiro, calm down._ )

There was no point talking to the younger in English. It wouldn't get through. When he was in this state, Hiro could only function in the most basic of ways. And that included reverting back to his first language - no matter how long ago he had stopped using it.

The flurry of limbs aimed at his face stopped and instead they dropped into a defensive position Tadashi recognized was one of the stances he had taught Hiro when they were learning karate.

A ragged sob left Hiro's lips again. "N-Nii-chan, on-onegai," he plead, breathing picking up again as he hyperventilated. The younger Hamada's shaking resumed.

Tadashi sighed tiredly and sat back on his haunches, leaving a little bit of breathing room for his brother. With a quiet voice, he said, "Hiro, watashi wo mitte." ( _Hiro, look at me._ )

The teen shook his head fervently, burying it in his arms as he slumped to the side in the locker and curled into a tighter ball. "Boku no nii-chan ga hoshii!" ( _I want my brother!_ )

Grimacing, the elder held his arms out again, sitting down with his legs crossed on the tiled floor of the locker room. "Watashi wa koko ni imasu; Tadashi wa koko ni iru." ( _I'm here; Tadashi's here._ )

The boy's head whipped up so fast, Tadashi thought his little brother had given himself whiplash. The subtle cracking sound that came from his neck didn't help relieve the elder's worry, either.

Wide browns eyes pinned Tadashi where he sat - wild and a puffy-red colour from crying. Through the tears, Hiro seemed to vaguely recognize him, as the teen flew into his arms not a second later.

"N-Nii-chan!" Hiro yelped, wrapping his arms around Tadashi's neck.

"Gomene, Hiro. Shiranakatta," ( _I'm sorry, Hiro. I didn't know,_ ) the elder apologized, tucking his sibling's head underneath his chin. When Hiro let out a broken sob, the older brother pulled the teen closer, murmuring soothing promises into his hair. "Dokoni mo ikanai. Yakusoku." ( _I won't go anywhere. Promise._ )

"T-Tada-shi," Hiro hiccuped in response, sniffling against his collar. His breathing was still uneven and his entire body shuddered and twitched as he cried.

The older Hamada frowned when he felt a warm wetness settle into the fabric of his shirt. He wanted to look over his brother for injuries, but first he needed him to calm down.

Using his fingertips, Tadashi rubbed around the base of Hiro's spine, working his way up to the small of the younger's back. After a few minutes of comforting touches, the elder Hamada paused to assess his brother's condition.

The teen's breathing was finally under control, but the shivers were still there - if not a little less pronounced. The sound of Hiro's sobbing had long since disappeared, however, the growing water stain on Tadashi's shoulder was disconcerting.

They sat there on the floor - Tadashi cradling his little brother, and Hiro silently taking comfort in the warm arms that wrapped him up in a way that didn't feel suffocating.

Pulling back a bit, Tadashi prodded the teen, gently telling him to let go. Hiro shook his head feverishly, arms tightening their grip around his shoulders and his legs wrapping resolutely around his waist.

"Hiro, watashi wo mite kudasai," ( _Hiro, please look at me._ ) Tadashi said patiently, running his hands through his sibling's hair and tracing nonsensical lines into his scalp.

Slowly, the younger Hamada lifted his head, and Tadashi hid a flinch.

Fat tears were collecting in those big brown doe eyes and when they finally pooled over, they ran down two well-worn tracks of red on his baby brother's cheeks. Hiro sniffled and Tadashi's eyes roamed over the rest of the teen's face.

With keen eyes programmed almost as intensely as Baymax's, Tadashi's vision immediately focused on the purple-ish bruise that was forming on Hiro's temple. The area under the teens' eyes were also rubbed raw - most likely from his sleeves, and when Tadashi followed the line of the teen's jaw, the older Hamada came across small red bruises - four on one side and one on the other... _Fingerprints_.

The elder's hackles raised, and a hiss left his lips. How dare they? _Fingerprints!?_

Tadashi felt his teeth grind together and willed his jaw muscles to relax.

Later.

He would get them later.

Repeating a mantra in his head, Tadashi focused on his brother. "Dokoni mo itai no?" ( _Does it hurt anywhere?_ ) he asked gently, running a hand through his brother's fluffy raven hair and taking note of the large bump on the back of his skull.

Hiro's bottom lip stuck out and Tadashi let a strained chuckle escape him. This really was reminiscent of their time as children. He knew his little brother wouldn't answer him though, so the older Hamada took the liberty to run his hands lightly over Hiro's body, starting with his tail.

Shifting his brother so that their chests were touching and Hiro was tucked securely in his hold, Tadashi patted his brother's lower back near the base of his spine.

As expected, the teen's tail raised and his muscles rippled - spasming as a shiver ran up his nerves. Hiro let out a whimper and Tadashi shushed and cooed at him, rocking them both back and forth until his sibling quieted.

Reaching out a hand to the still-raised tail, the older Hamada ran his thumb over the flattened fur before a hiss of pain made him retract his finger. Looked like it was still sensitive.

"Shippo daijoubu?" ( _Is your tail alright?_ ) he asked tentatively.

Hiro buried his nose into the column of Tadashi's neck and nipped at his skin for asking such a stupid question.

The elder let out a breathy laugh. If Hiro was calm enough to have sarcasm in his actions, he was doing better. "Yoshi, yoshi," ( _There, there,_ ) he purred, hoping that the vibrations would help his brother relax.

Their moment was interrupted when the door to the locker room banged open, making both of them flinch in surprise.

"Tadashi? Are you in here? Did you find Hiro?" a voice called. It was Honey Lemon. She sounded breathless and halfway between scared and confused.

Both brothers felt their muscles' tension release - Hiro more so than Tadashi.

The older Hamada knew that help arriving was a good thing, but he didn't want them to see his younger brother like this - broken down and vulnerable. Only he was meant to see that. He was Hiro's pillar, not someone else.

Tadashi pushed away the selfish urge when Hiro wiggled in his arms and let out a gasp of pain - hand coming around to clutch his stomach. The elder took a mental note of the injury, and paused when Hiro's sleeve lifted a little to show the hand-shaped bruise on his forearm.

A sudden growl left him, low and dangerous - abrupt enough that Hiro's ears had immediately twitched in his direction and his pupils had contracted in momentary fear.

No! That wasn't for him-! He wasn't angry at Hiro, he was angry at the people who had hurt his precious baby brother!

Bringing a hand up to cover the scowl he had on his face, Tadashi choked on the feral sound clawing its way up his throat and nuzzled his face into his sibling's hair in silent apology.

What was wrong with him?

"Tadashi?"

The older Hamada's eyes lifted, landing on the gang standing in a misshapen semi-circle to one side of him and Hiro as they shifted awkwardly.

Tadashi made a sound that could've been interpreted as acknowledgement and kept his nose buried in his brother's's hair. Unconsciously, the elder's body shifted so that he could cover as much of Hiro as he could from their sights. A part of Tadashi registered he was probably acting on instincts, but another part of him was rapidly shutting down rational thought - urging him to hiss and claw at any people near and curl up around his sibling until he was safe.

"Dude, is the little man alright?" Fred asked, brows uncharacteristically drawn low as he took a step forward.

Gogo lifted an arm in front of him, halting his advance towards the two before the elder Hamada had a chance to hiss in warning.

"Don't get any closer," she warned through her teeth.

"What? Why?" Wasabi asked, startled tone high in pitch. Tadashi's lip raised, showing off his canines in a silent snarl.

The cheetah's nose twitched and her eyes narrowed as she popped a bubble. "He's releasing 'overprotective mom pheromones' right now. Tadashi is only acting on instinct - if you get any closer, he'll claw your face off."

Wasabi gulped noisily. "Well how do we fix it?"

The wild cat shot the gorilla-mix a look. "We don't," she deadpanned.

Honey's colourful wings shuffled slightly and she tapped her friend's shoulder. "Can't we do anything to help? Hiro looks so scared..."

Gogo's eyes flickered to the little bundle curled in the older Hamada's lap. "He'll be fine. In fact, he probably needs Tadashi's presence more than ours right now. Everyone back up slowly with your palms facing him and maintain at least five feet's distance. He should calm down when he sees we're not a threat."

Fred, Wasabi and Honey all followed Gogo's directions, slowly backing up as if they were preparing to run from a wild animal. Gogo remained where she was, keeping the older of the two's attention on her as her friends moved back to a safe distance.

Once the others were in position, she too inched her way back, keeping narrowed eyes on the way Tadashi's muscles would tense and his tail would thrash if she moved in what he deemed as a threatening move of any kind.

Finally reaching a safe distance, the cheetah-mix sat on the floor of the locker room, making a vague hand motion over her shoulder for the others to do the same. It would take a while for their friend's instincts to calm.

Tadashi eyed them from his crouch, slitted eyes scanning them for dangers even as a glimmer of recognition shined through those chocolate brown orbs.

Hiro's head popped up and the teen promptly stuck his nose in the junction of where his brother's jaw and ear met, nuzzling into the scent gland hidden there. The elder rubbed his cheek against his sibling's ear in return, scent marking him. Their combined purrs echoed loudly in the mostly empty locker room, buzzing with a content message.

Gogo flushed slightly and turned her head away from the oddly intimate scene. Begrudgingly, she noticed that none of her other friends seemed to notice the importance of the action. Of course - they weren't cats nor canines.

The wild cat grimaced to herself. _Of-freaking-course._

"Gogo?" came a strained voice. The cheetah snapped back to reality, fixing her eyes on the figure sitting on the floor across from her. Tadashi still had a protective grip around Hiro, but his posture was more relaxed.

"Yeah," she responded nonchalantly, hiding the fact that she had been startled out of her thoughts.

"Thanks. Hiro and I might take a few days away from school to recover," he rasped.

She nodded understandingly. Falling into an instinctive state was difficult to climb back out of. One only fell into it in the first place if put through extreme stress or pressured with the state of the well-being of a loved one.

With what both brothers had gone through, it was expected they'd take a few days off.

Gogo caught Tadashi's eyes and held them as she nodded solemnly. The older Hamada let out a breath of relief and curled back around Hiro, purring and cooing reassuringly in low tones only she would be able to pick out.

The wild cat gave a half-hearted scowl at the mushy actions and turned to the rest of her friends. "C'mon," she said with a jerk of her head towards the door. "Let's leave them alone."

Honey shot her a concerned look, but left it as was when her friend shook her head.

As soon as they had exited the locker room, Wasabi shivered.

"Woah, did you see Tadashi? He was all like 'rawr' and 'grrr' and stuff! It was so cool!" Fred stage whispered in awe, hands balled up in excited fists.

The Afro-American shook his head. "No, that was not _cool_! He was going to rip our heads off if we _breathed_ the wrong way!"

"I know!" Fred shouted back at him, arms flinging up in excitement.

Gogo stood off to the side, watching the pair banter about whether or not seeing Tadashi in 'mother hen mode' was cool or not. A hand touching her shoulder made her look up at Honey.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked tentatively, concern flashing in her eyes.

"Now, we find Ritchie and his goons," she announced loudly, drawing everyone's attention. The cheetah-mix leaned on her right leg and put a hand on her hip, looking at the three assembled before her. They were nerds, but they were family. And family stood up for each other.

The harsh snap of Gogo's bubble popping resounded in the empty halls and an angry growl left her throat, the dangerous glint her eyes catching and spreading once her friends caught on to her train of thought.

"We find them-" a smirk lifted the corners of her mouth- "and we _end_ them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Go Japanese! I could have written it in Hiragana, but then I realized it would have been easier to leave it as romaji... If you guys want to see it in Hiragana next time, leave a comment :D (Also, forgive me if I butchered the Japanese DX I only studied in Japan for four months... If I made a mistake, please tell me so I can fix it.)


	12. Handpint 02 - For Now The Future Doesn't Exist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I just choked on liquid fluff… (=▽=) Someone save me from drowning in feels (or, you know, just leave me here to die). _(:3 JL)_

**Human/Regular AU**

**(Baby!Hiro and College Student!Dashi)**

* * *

"What are you, pregnant?" Gogo snarked the moment Tadashi stepped into the lab, warily eyeing the way her friend clutched his bulging stomach over his winter coat.

The older Hamada let out a quiet chuckle as he came to a stop in front the adrenaline-junkie. "Not quite, Gogo."

The woman arched an eyebrow in a silent question, popping her gum with a loud snap.

A fond smile lifted the corners of Tadashi's lips and he peered down at his midsection, shuffling a little bit. "Care to unzip?" he asked with an amused lilt to his voice.

Gogo sneered, but nonetheless reached up to tug on his zipper. "If this is another one of your pranks, I swear to god Hamada-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence.

Zipper down only halfway, Gogo stared wide-eyed as fluffy black locks sprung into view.

"I didn't know you had a kid," she mumbled absently, still trying to process the sight of a child clutching onto her best friend's sweater and snoring slightly.

Tadashi released one hand to loosen the grip the kid had on his clothes and hoisted the bundle a little higher on his midsection so that he was rested comfortably in the crook of his arm. "He's not mine. This is-"

"Oh my gosh! Tadashi! Who is that?" Honey bounded over in a flurry of pink and yellow, hands already plucking out her ear buds.

Noticing the commotion by Gogo's station, Wasabi quickly and meticulously wrapped up his work and meandered over the same time Fred looked up from his comic book.

"Hey, Tadashi-" the Afro-American greeted with a raised hand before he stopped short and his eyes widened comically. "Ah, I... didn't know you... uh..." Wasabi trailed off, awkwardly flicking his eyes back and forth between the child in his friend's arms to a point across the lab.

"Dude! It's a little Mini-You! Let's name him Hamada Junior!" Fred said excitedly, skipping over to their assembled group and spotting what the source of the commotion was all about.

Tadashi chuckled and shook his head in exasperation. "Sorry Fred, he's already got a name. Everyone, meet Hiro, my baby brother."

When Tadashi had talked about his baby brother, the entire gang had assumed that their friend was dealing with a teenager - what with the way he always talked about how much his brother got into trouble.

Honey Lemon was the first to break the stunned silence with a high pitched squeal of joy, hands flying wildly to her side to whip out her phone for a few select pictures. "How old is he?" she twittered happily.

"Two this year. Actually, just turned about half a month ago," Tadashi stated proudly.

Gogo was next, punching Tadashi in the opposite arm that was holding Hiro lightly enough that she didn't jostle the sleeping child. "Nice," she commented, smirking up at him.

"I'm surprised that the little man's still asleep through all this commotion," Wasabi commended dryly, tilting his head to observe the snoring mass of plush, white jacket and wild raven hair.

"Can I hold him?" Fred asked, voice alarmingly soft and tone holding a hint of awe.

Tadashi raised an eyebrow, glancing concernedly at his brother. "Uh, sure, I guess."

With practiced ease, the older Hamada lifted his sibling away from his chest, earning him a small whine of protest as Hiro was pulled away from his heat.

He chuckled and handed him to Fred, who held the child with heartbreaking care. "I've always wanted a little sibling," he crooned, surprising the rest of the gang.

"Really?" Tadashi asked when no one spoke up. It was all on their minds anyway, may as well take the initiative.

The blond nodded. "It gets a little lonely at home," he replied distantly. His tone was a little forlorn, and the group anonymously decided to drop the subject.

"So what was your Mini-Me doing inside your jacket?" Gogo asked, shooting Tadashi a pointed look.

The elder broke into a wide grin and laughed, shrugging out of his jacket now that attention was drawn back to it. "Aunt Cass was stressing because of the health inspectors that are supposed to drop by the café today, and since I was free, I offered to take Hiro off her hands. He's a bit of a hand full; spilling scalding-hot coffee on customers and slipping salt packets into customers' beverages isn't exactly business-friendly, if you know what I mean."

Wasabi shot the child still sleeping in Fred's embrace a wary look, as if he would grow a tail and sprout devil horns. Honey merely covered her giggles with a hand.

"And…?" Gogo prompted. "That still doesn't explain why he was in your jacket."

Tadashi chuckled. "Oh, right. Well, I didn't want to take the moped while Hiro was with me, so the only option was public transport. Halfway here, Hiro complained he was cold – I told him to wear the scarf! Really," he scoffed tiredly, "that Bonehead will be the death of me one day. Just yesterday-"

"Focus," Gogo cut in, snapping her fingers in front of her friend's face. "I came for the story, not the rant. Woman up already."

The older Hamada blushed. "So, yeah… Since I didn't have a scarf myself, I just offered to share my coat. And then he fell asleep like that."

Honey Lemon crooned at the adorable story, bouncing over to Fred's side to look down on the sleeping child. "Oh Freddie, look at him! He's so cute and tiny," she cooed, taking one of Hiro's clenched fists in her hand.

Seemingly disturbed by the sudden contact, Hiro's eyes blearily blinked open, taking in the new faces that loomed over him. His expression was carefully blank – almost neutral – before his face scrunched up and his cheeks turned red. Oh gosh, he was gonna cry-!

"U-uhhh…" the child whined, seemingly trying to hold back tears. A guilty look passed over Fred and Honey's faces before they hurriedly tried to soothe the toddler with shushes and bouncing. A whimper left the child. It wasn't working.

"T-Tadashi, um, take the child? Please? I don't think I can handle it if he starts crying," Wasabi plead, eyes already starting to water with empathy tears. Gogo elbowed him in the side with a murmured, 'woman up.'

"Hiro, watashi wa koko," (Hiro, I'm over here,) Tadashi calmly called, catching his brother's attention.

The toddler twisted in Fred's hold, eyes roaming for the source of that familiar voice. Two watery-brown eyes honed in on the elder, and Hiro's arms were already stretched out towards him. "N-Nii-taaan," he burbled, making grabbing motions with his hands. A disapproving sniffle and a mild hiccup left the small child.

"Yoshi, yoshi," (There, there,) Tadashi chuckled, taking his brother back into his arms. "Watashi wa imasukara, nakanaide." (I'm here, so don't cry.)

Hiro made a sound and buried his face into his elder brother's neck, mumbling something only Tadashi could hear. The elder Hamada chuckled, a bright, rich sound leaving his lips. He pressed a kiss to the top of his little sibling's hair and bounced him. "Un, daijoubu. Hora, mite, Nii-san no tomodachi. Yasashi no aisatsu wo onegai, ne?" (You'll be alright. Look, it's your brother's friends. Please give them a nice greeting, 'kay?)

The younger Hamada peeked from under his bangs at the gang, and with a little circular wave of his hand, he squeaked out, "Boku wa Hiro. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." (I'm Hiro. I'll be in your care.)

Honey gasped, hands flying to her mouth. She'd never heard such an articulate two-year-old before! In Japanese no less! (It was, after all, a tricky language.)

"Um, translation please?" Wasabi tentatively asked, shooting Honey and Tadashi looks. They were the only people within the gang that were fluent in Japanese, so it was all on them.

"Yoroshiku, Hiro! Watashi wa Aiko! Honey Lemon wa ii yo," (Nice to meet you Hiro! I'm Aiko! Honey Lemon's fine,) the blonde easily chirped, vibrating on the spot with how cute Tadashi's younger brother was. With a sweep of her hand, she indicated each member of their group. "Kochira wa Wasabi. Kao wa chotto kowai, demo kokoro naka ni, kare wa yasashi. Kochira wa Fred! Kaijuu ga suki! Saigo wa Gogo, watashi no shinyuu! Kanojo wa hayai yo!" (This is Wasabi. His face is a little scary, but in his heart, he's nice. This is Fred! He loves monsters! Last is Gogo, my best friend! She's really fast!)

Hiro watched as Honey Lemon introduced each member animatedly, doe-eyes training each of them with a sparkling gaze that made Fred want to bounce around, Wasabi melt, and Gogo punch the nearest wall.

"Domo," (Hi,) the toddler said simply, ducking his head a bit in a polite bow. Honey made a screeching noise in the back of her throat. Oh god this kid was so cute!

"So anyone gonna translate, or am I going to have to pull out a translator for this?" Gogo deadpanned, crossing her arms and leaning heavily on one leg.

"I s-said, n-nice to meet you," Hiro stuttered, catching everyone by surprise. Tadashi chuckled at the shared look of shock on his friends' faces.

"Hiro here is considered a genius," he snickered mirthfully. A swell of pride made him puff out his chest. "His present mental development is on par with a five-year old's."

"Woohoo! Child genius!" Fred cheered, arms flinging upwards and making the younger Hamada flinch in surprise. "Oops, sorry little dude, didn't mean to frighten you."

The toddler nodded his head in understanding, hands unclenching from Tadashi's shirt and encircling his brother's neck instead. Turning his attention away from the distracting array of…  _unique_  characters in front of him, Hiro pressed his face into Tadashi's cheek and mumbled, "Baymax wa?" (What about Baymax?)

The elder's eyes lit up in remembrance. "Ah, sorry guys, I just remembered I came here for a reason. I'm gonna go ahead and show Hiro what I've been working on. Catch you guys later."

A chorus of goodbyes were thrown after the two brothers as Tadashi exited the shared lab and into his own personal work room. It was a lot quieter here, and he noted the way tension seemed to seep out of his baby brother's posture until Hiro's head was buried into the side of his neck, eyes greedily roving over every inch of his office.

"Baymax?" the toddler queried impatiently, hands tugging on the back of his older brother's cardigan.

Tadashi chuckled. "What do you say when you have a boo-boo?"

"I..tai…?" (Ow…?) Hiro asked hesitantly, eyes squinting suspiciously. Tadashi could almost see his bro's gears turning – working to decipher whether or not that was a trick question.

He laughed a little and nodded his head. "Very good-" the toddler's eyes lit up "-now say it in English for me?"

Hiro's brows scrunched in the center of his forehead for a few seconds as he tried to remember the word. "Ow?" he asked more than said.

A  _beep_ , and the whoosh of vinyl inflating filled the room, immediately garnering the child prodigy's attention. "Baymax!" he squealed happily once he saw who had emerged. It was like a dream come true for the child – all of those drawings and doodles had come to life and was now standing before his very eyes!

The bot stopped in front of the brothers and tilted his head to the side before waving in a circular motion. "Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. I was alerted to the need for medical attention when you said: 'ow'. I will scan you now. Scan complete. You seem to be in perfect health; I can deactivate if you say you are satisfied with your care."

"Hold on a second Baymax," Tadashi chuckled, shifting Hiro to his other side. "This is Hiro, my little brother."

Baymax turned to the smaller Hamada and blinked. "Hello Hiro, I am Baymax."

The toddler giggled, hugging Tadashi tightly around the neck and hiding his face shyly in his brother's shoulder. "Hi Baymax," he said softly. A yawn slipped out of the child.

"Alright bud," the elder said, bouncing Hiro a bit when his baby brother yawned and blinked sleepily. "What do you say we head on home and have a nap until Aunt Cass calls us for dinner?"

Hiro nodded eagerly, eyelids already drooping and fingers losing their grip. In a minute flat, he was out, making Tadashi shake his head and chuckle at the serious cuteness of it all. He turned to his AI – the one he had slaved  _months_  over to get working.

"Baymax, Hiro is going to be your primary patient. Look after him in the case that I can't, alright?" he whispered almost sadly. He had no intention to leave his baby brother's side, but one never knew.

"Understood," his robot intoned. Tadashi smiled brightly.

"Alright then; I am satisfied with my care."

Baymax waddled back to his charging station and deflated with a hiss, leaving Tadashi to his thoughts. It felt like a weight had been lifted off the elder Hamada's shoulders. With this, at least he knew he was ensured.

Ensured that no matter what, Hiro would always be taken care of – regardless of what happened to Tadashi.

For now, the elder would spend as much time as he could with his precious, sweet little brother.

For now, he would love Hiro with everything he had.

For now.


	13. Handprint 03 - Unbelievable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in which Tadashi finds out one of the Trials and Tribulations of being an older sibling is really embarrassing. Otherwise named "that one time Hiro Hamada peed his pants".
> 
> Onwards!

 

**Human/Regular AU**

**(Kiddy!Hiro and Pre-Teen!Dashi)**

* * *

 "I need to pee."

"What!?" Tadashi exclaimed, looking at his brother's rosy cheeks and fidgeting legs. "You said you didn't need to when we left the house!"

"That was then and this is now! And right now, I. Need. To. Peeee!" Hiro whined, jumping slightly in place with each word.

The elder Hamada made a frustrated sound and took his sibling's hand. "Do you think you can hold it until we get back?"

Hiro shook his head negative.

"Then just- go do it in some bushes or something…" Tadashi said, grimacing.

The younger Hamada paused in his squirming and shot his brother a deadpan expression. "What bushes?"

Tadashi looked up and surveyed the area- and sure enough, they were still in San Fransokyo… A metropolis… With no greenery in sight…

"Ugh," the elder groaned, palm meeting his forehead. Okay, so no bushes. That just meant that they would have to borrow someone's bathroom.

"Alright, we'll go ask if we can use someone's bathroom. Hold it in until then, alright bud?" Tadashi sighed tiredly.

"Un," Hiro hummed, spare hand tugging down on his shirt. "But hurry up. I  _reaaally_  need to go."

"I know, I know," Tadashi murmured, towing his brother across the crosswalk to a residential area where he knew the nice old people lived. Mrs. Matsuda lived in this area. She was a Lucky Cat café regular, so maybe she'd let them in.

Mind made up, Tadashi pulled his sibling along, trying to get there without physically dragging his brother across the ground.

"Which house was it again…?" the elder murmured to himself, eyes scanning the buildings as they passed them. He vaguely remembered that Mrs. Matsuda lived in a small blue house with a red door, but when every other building was painted with the same colour scheme, it was a little hard to distinguish which one was hers.

" 'Dashi, hurry! I don't think I can hold it anymore!" Hiro screeched, now doing what the brothers had named the "I-desperately-need-to-go-pee-or-else-you-know-what-will-happen" dance.

"A-aah! Nonono! Hold it in!" Tadashi yelled back, panicking now with the way Hiro's face was scrunching up and turning red in effort. There was no time to find Mrs. Matsuda's house now; any bathroom would do!

Rushing up the stairs to the house nearest to them, Tadashi rang the doorbell repeatedly, despite his guilty conscience in doing so. He had been taught better than this, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

After an agonizing thirty seconds, the door creaked open to reveal- "Mrs. Matsuda?" Tadashi croaked in surprise as the 80-year-old stepped up in a hot pink crop top and biking shorts.

"Tadashi! Hiro! How are you boys doing?" She said, wrinkles smooshing her eyes and cheeks when she smiled at them.

"G-good," Tadashi said hastily, peering past her into the house when Hiro hissed his name and yanked on his shirt sleeve. "Um, is it alright if we use your bathroom?"

The elderly lady took one look at Hiro and smiled understandingly, shuffling back and bringing the door with her to reveal the inside of her house. It was bathed in garish colours – from lime green to hot pink and back to neon yellow. All the vibrant hues immediately hurt Tadashi's eyes (like her outfit), but he would have to put up with it.

"Alright Hiro," he said, nudging his brother. Hiro didn't move from his spot, but instead stayed rooted to the ground, staring off into the distance.

Tadashi raised an eyebrow and elbowed his sibling in the arm. "C'mon knucklehead," he prompted jerking his head towards the open entryway. "Door's open."

The older Hamada paused when he saw a wet puddle forming around his brother's feet.

 _Oh no… Don't tell me…!_  They had been so close, too!

"I don't need to go pee anymore," Hiro stated blankly, shifting uncomfortably in his too wet clothes.

Tadashi heaved a weary sigh and shook his head in disbelief.

"…  _Unbelievable._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who has been an older sibling figure (by at least a 2-4 year margin) knows this feel – and boy, let me tell you: it's embarrassing. Good luck to all you elder siblings out there! And to you younger ones: Stop making us stress! (Lol jk, I give you all smooches ^3^)


	14. Handprint 04 - せかいいち の にいちゃん

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADCANON!
> 
> Similar to the headcanon in Ears and Tail 04, Hiro is fluent in both Japanese and English. Tadashi was the one to teach Hiro the Japanese words to things, and Aunt Cass was the one who taught Hiro English. Also, due to the larger age difference, Tadashi was born way before Hiro and therefore learned more Japanese from their parents before they passed away.
> 
> (I’m about to make you sad, so buckle in.)
> 
> In the canon, Hiro and Tadashi’s parents passed away when Hiro was three. In this mini-series, Hiro is two years old. This means that Hiro has almost no recollection of his parents at all. But Tadashi does. He’s a lot older than in canon when his parents die, and because of that, it is a more painful and traumatizing event, as he better understands the concepts of death at his age (maybe late teens?). This, however, did not mean he was emotionally mature – or prepared – for something like that to happen.
> 
> This brings us to the reason why he made Baymax. Tadashi was scarred from his parents’ death and sees Hiro as the only family he has left (excluding Aunt Cass and Mochi). If he loses Hiro- 
> 
> He won’t even think like that, it scares him so bad. He specifically makes Baymax the Healthcare Companion with Hiro in mind, his mindset that of a dying man. He never knows what will happen to him (like he never knew what would happen with their parents), and as a result, he fears every day that he may leave Hiro alone (even though he would never willingly do so). To help ease his fears, he creates his greatest invention – a nurse bot with an advanced AI that would grow right along with Hiro.
> 
> All of this ties in with Handprint 02, in which Tadashi vows that ‘for now’ he would love Hiro with everything he could give.
> 
> He just doesn’t know that Hiro’s willing to give back.

**Human/Regular AU**

**(Baby!Hiro and College Student!Dashi)**

* * *

_Ding-ding!_

Tadashi sighed heavily as he stepped into the café, the little bell attached to the door ringing pleasantly to announce his arrival. He was relieved to finally have made it home after a long day at SFIT; he swore, one of these days his friends were going to kill him.

One run in with a chemical explosion, a few mag-lev disks almost hitting him in the head, a couple of plasma-induced lasers singeing off the corner of his eyebrows and half a moldy-sandwich later, had Tadashi practically convinced he wasn't going to make it home that evening.

He was never volunteering to be their guinea pigs ever again.

Capital E in _Ever._

"Welcome home Tadashi!" Aunt Cass chirped from behind the counter, hands working up a flurry as she fulfilled customers' orders with meticulousness coming only from long hours of work. "How was school today?"

The college student smiled - though it came out more as a grimace - and rubbed at the back of his neck. He gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I-it was okay," he admitted. "Just a few mishaps in the lab, nothing too serious."

His aunt flashed him a winning smile from over the head of one of her patrons. "Oh sweetie, sorry you had a rough day. If it makes you feel any better, Hiro has a gift for you!"

Tadashi felt warmth settle in his chest that spread out at the thought of his little brother. "Hiro made something for me?" he asked, lips quirking and brow rising.

Aunt Cass shot him an ecstatic grin. "Oh, you're gonna love it! He's been wanting to give it to you since this afternoon. Poor thing was so excited, he burnt himself out just vibrating with anticipation!"

The elder Hamada let out a laugh. "Did he at least take his nap for today?"

"I believe he's doing that right now," Cass giggled, shaking her head in fond amusement. "You might want to wake him up, or else he won't be able to sleep tonight." She rolled her eyes in good humour. "God knows how much of a headache that will be."

Oh, he knew alright. Sharing a room with an overly charged ball of energy during the middle of the night did wonders to his sleep schedule. The last time Hiro had taken a late nap, Tadashi had pulled an all-nighter with little else but Hiro's soft giggles, mischievous brain and dexterous hands to nag him into worried-wakefulness every half hour.

Tadashi shuddered at the memory and sent a slightly perturbed glance at his aunt. The woman merely shooed at him and gestured up the stairs, knowing smile still plastered on her face.

Climbing the two flights to the attic-turned-loft, the older Hamada slipped his book bag off his shoulder and shimmied out of his jacket and cardigan. Carefully folding his clothes and placing his stuff to the side of his bed, he shuffled past the paper divider into Hiro's part of the room.

"Hiro," he called softly, peering over the edge of his baby brother's crib. Soft snores and even softer features greeted him. Hiro was cute when he was sleeping – all chubby body and rosy cheeks and fluffy raven hair. The elder reached out to brush the sleeping child's bangs back. "Hiro, wake up," he cooed, thumb running over soft, poofy cheeks.

The toddler's eyelids sluggishly fluttered open, soft brown roaming over empty space before looking up into similar chocolate hues. A dopey smile crossed his face and Hiro slowly rolled into a sitting position, a massive yawn heaving out of his small body. "Okaeri," (Welcome home,) he sighed, fist rubbing blearily at one eye.

"Tadaima, Hiro," (I'm home, Hiro,) Tadashi grinned tiredly, stooping to lift Hiro out of his crib. The child giggled and clung to his brother's neck.

The elder of the two stifled a yawn in his brother's hair and squeezed the little body in his arms tight –Hiro squeaking into his shoulder and hugging back. Tadashi couldn't help the genuine smile that softened his expression. No matter what, Hiro always managed to make his day a little brighter. "Were you good to Aunt Cass while I was at school?" he asked, poking his sibling on the forehead. Hiro scrunched his nose and went cross-eyed trying to follow his brother's finger.

Chuckling, the college student bounced the toddler and repeated the question. Hiro grinned at him, seemingly more awake. "Yeah! I made you a present!" he cheered, enthusiasm beating out sleepiness.

The older Hamada hummed in thought, a playful glint entering his eyes. "Did you now?"

The child in his arms nodded his head excitedly, dark hair flying wildly about his face. "It's the bestest thing you'll ever get! And I made it!'

Lifting a brow in question, Tadashi shifted Hiro to his lap as he sat down on his bed. "Jibun de?" (By yourself?)

Hiro snickered into his neck. "Un!" (Yeah!)

The elder quietly mock-gasped and squinted suspiciously at his sibling. "Uso," (I don't believe you,) Tadashi teased, trying to smother the smirk that threatened to find its way onto his face. He had a clue as to what kind of present he was going to get; the smell of burnt sugar lingering on his sibling sort of gave it away.

The two year old gave him an affronted look. "Hontou! Uso jai nai," (It's true! I'm not lying,) he whined, small hands tugging at his brother's shirt.

Tadashi pursed his lips. "Hontou ni hontou?" (Really  _really?_ ) he asked, eyeing Hiro knowingly.

Round chocolate orbs drifted to the side and a blush rose on those already pink cheeks. "Well... M-maybe just a little help," he admitted shyly, eyebrows scrunching and button nose wrinkling.

Laughing at the admission, Tadashi pulled Hiro close and placed a kiss on his forehead. "It's okay; anything you and Aunt Cass made is bound to be good."

Hiro's eyes sparkled. "It's in the kitchen!" he crowed happily, excitement back two-fold. The older Hamada obligingly got up and carried them down the stairs to their little kitchen and moved to place the toddler in his highchair. Before Hiro's feet could even get through the holes meant for the legs, the kid was pulling out the puppy-dog eyes and whimpering sadly as he clutched desperately to the front of Tadashi's shirt.

"Alright, alright," the college student sighed, acquiescing to his brother's non-verbal plea. He shuffled them around so that Hiro was rested on his right hip and his dominant hand was free. "So are you gonna tell me where the present is, or is Nii-chan going to have to find it?"

The younger Hamada stifled a giggle in Tadashi's ribs and murmured something incomprehensible.

"Hmm?" the elder hummed, stretching his neck down so he could bring his ear closer to his brother. "I couldn't hear you. Don't speak with your mouth full," he chuckled. Hiro laughed.

"It's in the cookie jar!" the toddler said as he pulled back from his position buried in cotton clothing. A chubby finger pointed at the china pastry container sitting innocently on the counter by the spice rack.

Tadashi grinned and walked over to it, amusement building as he watched Hiro – as Aunt Cass had put it – vibrate with excitement the closer he got.

"In here?" he asked, hand stilling over smooth porcelain.

"Yes!" Hiro practically yelled, now visibly bouncing against his side.

"Just making sure," Tadashi mumbled, a pleased laugh slipping from under his breath. He lifted the lid and peered in. At the very bottom of the jar lay one cookie. "It looks good Hiro," he said earnestly. He picked it up to inspect it.

It really did look good. The center was a light golden colour – no doubt thanks to Aunt Cass – and the edges were a darker, almost burnt brown – most likely the handiwork of his brother's short attention span.

Hiro fidgeted in his arms. "T-turn it," he demanded in a gentle – almost timid – voice. Tadashi glanced at his brother and found the child's cheeks glowing a soft red. Turning his wrist, Tadashi looked on the other side.

There, in large, shaky hiragana written in red icing where the characters spelling:

 **せかいいち** **の** **にいちゃん**

"… Sekai ichi no… Nii-chan…" he read disbelievingly, chocolate orbs growing wide. Tadashi felt his chest constrict and a lump lodge itself in his throat. Heat burned behind his eyes. "Shinjirarenai," (Unbelievable,) he laughed breathlessly, smile watery as he repeated the words in his head.

_Sekai ichi no Nii-chan._

"I love you," Hiro said simply – as if it were just a matter of fact. He turned his face upwards and stretching to all his toddler height, pressed a light kiss to his brother's cheek.

Hand trembling slightly, the elder Hamada placed the cookie back in the jar and hugged Hiro with as much warmth as he could muster. The younger Hamada buried his face into the other's shoulder and hummed contentedly.

"I love you too," Tadashi said at length, voice thick and words tumbling around and past his tongue.

_Sekai ichi no Nii-chan._

Hiro rubbed his face into the crook of his brother's neck and sighed happily, gap-toothed smile pressing into his sibling's skin.

If a tear or two escaped Tadashi, they went unnoticed by both boys, the words written on the cookie playing on repeat.

 _Sekai ichi no Nii-chan..._ _World's Best Big Brother._


	15. Wings 03 – Aves

**BirdHybrids!Hidashi, Anthro**

* * *

"Did you obtain the specimens?"

The light voice of a woman crawled across the empty space of the warehouse, creeping along the concrete ground and echoing off metal walls. From within the darkness, a masked man stepped into the open, moonlight gleaming across the white of his kabuki mask. He nodded once.

"What about Matsuoshita? I assume he was given proper compensation for his… troubles?"

The figure cloaked in black nodded again, his posture stiff.

"Well done… _Yokai_. I expect them to be tended to; I will come when they are ready. You are dismissed."

With a deep bow, the cloaked man melted back into the shadows, the muted sound of water hitting the dock the only thing to follow his absence.

In the dusk of the abandoned warehouse, there was barely a flash of emerald green against a pale collar bone and bright jade eyes gleaming in the darkness.

A small, tender laugh.

Then, silence.

* * *

"Professor Callaghan!" Honey called from across the lab, waving enthusiastically from her work station and bouncing slightly in her spot. Beside the blonde, Gogo lifted her head from the stack of papers littering one end of their shared desk and nonchalantly popped a bubble.

The teacher acknowledged them with a nod. "Hello girls," he said, hands tucking themselves in his pockets. "Call Fred and Wasabi in here for me, would you? I have a surprise for my best students."

Gogo's eyebrow rose in curiosity and a grin spread on Honey's face at the same time. The Korean stood from her seat and jerked her head towards the lab door, saying, "I'll go get them."

The blonde nodded excitedly and brought two clenched hands under her chin in anticipation as she watched her friend leave the lab in a light jog.

Not a minute later, there was a loud banging noise and shouts of indignation coming from behind the lab's closed doors. Gogo sprinted in and pulled to a controlled stop in front of Honey Lemon, throwing a wrench into the air and catching it with expert reflexes.

"Y-you can't just do that!" Wasabi yelled as he lumbered in, hands thrown up in exasperation. "I have a system! Everything in its place!"

Gogo rolled her eyes and underhand threw the stolen wrench back to Wasabi.

"Where's Freddie?" Honey Lemon asked when she didn't spot the last member of their research group. Gogo shrugged noncommittally.

"Right here," a muffled voice answered. In a simultaneous movement, the group turned to look behind them. A giant bird mask met them halfway. As if the sudden appearance was a normal thing, Honey smiled as the mascot flipped back the hood of the falcon suit.

"Just got off of mascot duties?" she asked.

Fred nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, the elderly couple that runs that herb shop across the campus were having a tough time getting customers, so I volunteered to help promote their business! Which, by the way, has killer herbs; I mean, who _knew_ ginger could do all _that_?"

"Focus," Gogo said as she socked the mascot in the arm, ignoring the indignant squeak of: ' _Ow, my falcon arm!_ ' from Fred and the subsequently whispered, ' _Looks like you got hit with a... Falcon- punch!_ ' that Wasabi giggled out behind a fist.

The petite woman rolled her eyes, hands coming to rest on her hips. "Woman up already, you doofuses," she muttered under her breath. Fred looked around at the assembled group, the presence of their professor not slipping from his notice.

"So what's up dudes and dudettes? Everyone's assembled like the Avengers ready for a battle." A feathered hand came up to readjust his beanie. "Is there a situation on our hands?" He snapped to attention before crouching and looking around suspiciously. "Are there giant aliens that suck people's faces off and then use them as their own taking over the world? Or is it Hydra's secret forces come back from under the boot of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mighty crime-crushing hero-"

Wasabi interrupted the comic enthusiast with a raised hand. "Fred, just… Stop."

"We're here because Professor Callaghan has something he wants to show us," Honey Lemon supplied helpfully, patting her deflated friend's shoulder. Fred perked up.

"Oh, I see now," the blond chuckled, head bobbing in a nod. "It's a _sorpresa_ , isn't it? That's French for 'surprise'."

Honey hid a cringe behind an encouraging smile. "It's really not…"

"Ah, but it is," Callaghan interjected, tilting his head with a knowing smile. "After all, you've been studying them for years, and it's only until now that we've gotten this rare, once-in-a-lifetime chance to actually interact with one."

The aged professor turned away from his students and walked to the end of the lab, hands resting nonchalantly in his pockets. When he reached the door to the shared lab space, he looked back at his brightest students' stunned expressions and lifted an amused brow. A semi-smug quirk tugged at one corner of his thin lips. "Well? They aren't going to study themselves," he said.

The group rushed to the door just as it swung shut.

* * *

"P-Professor Callaghan, what do you mean we've been studying them for years? Our group has only been studying one particular strand of anthromorphs since you've taken us under your wing last year," Wasabi stuttered out in a rush, hands gesturing wildly as he kept pace with their teacher.

"You have indeed been studying them for years – even before I came to teach your group specifically," he responded in kind, never breaking stride.

"Dude! No way – is it Godzilla in the flesh? Or a Kaiju?" Fred asked excitedly, eyes sparkling with wonder.

Callaghan let out a quiet huff of laughter and shook his head. "No; think more… _human_."

"Is it a new species?" Gogo questioned seriously, gears turning as she fished for information.

"Actually," Callaghan chuckled, "this species is quite old."

The man glanced at a bouncing Fred from the corner of his eyes. "I have a hunch Mr. Lee here would know the answers to most of your questions. Out of everyone present, I have faith he'll be the one with the most knowledge of this particular species of anthro."

The aforementioned blond's eyes nearly popped out of his head and his jaw dropped as he came to an abrupt halt. "No. _Way,_ " he muttered, just as Callaghan pressed his palm to a hand scanner for the specimen private studies lab – or SPS lab for short.

The professor smirked, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Yes _way_."

Fred's jaw officially touched the floor.

The teacher looked away from the disbelieving expression and opened the door to the labs reserved for him and his hand-picked students when they were studying the school's more _special_ anthros. Inside, in the very center of the gym-sized room was a large unidentified shape covered in a black tarp.

Callaghan walked up to the cage and stood off to the side as his students filed in after him, hesitantly forming a semi-circle around the enclosure. The door sealed behind them with a final hiss, punctuating the silence that rang out in the mostly vacant space.

Fred was the first to speak. "I-is it…? Could it be?" he whispered reverently, eyes round.

Callaghan mentioned for him to continue with a small roll of his wrist. "Hazard a guess."

"Is it-... is it an Aves?" the blond asked in a quiet voice, gaze shifting between the cage and their professor. The rest of the team shuffled in surprise. Bird classified anthros were rare and prized; very few of them were left in the world, let alone in captivity.

"Correct. As expected from you Mr. Lee," Callaghan commended with a nod. "But now, can you name the species?"

"Hamada," Fred deadpanned immediately. Honey, Gogo, and Wasabi shot him weird looks.

A proud smile pulled at the teacher's lips. "And your evidence?"

Fred raised a hand enthusiastically and pointed dramatically at the tarp. "The shape of this is obviously a bird cage; that narrows it down to a bird anthropomorphic. Secondly, the size of the cage is the biggest they have in stock. This means it has to be one of four species. _Meaning_ , it's either the Night Fury, the Red Death, the Bewilder Beast or the Dusk Lighter – better known by the name Hamada – after the guy who discovered them."

The blond began to pace around the perimeter of the cage, finger curling around his chin as he took on the air of a detective. "Lastly, the tarp is light-proof. This indicates that the species inside is naturally nocturnal. This cuts it down even further to either the Hamada or the Night Fury. However, the Hamada are extinct."

"Then how is the species a Hamada, you idiot," Gogo scowled, arms crossing impatiently. She just wanted to know what was in the damn cage!

Fred lifted a finger and tutted, his other hand twisting behind his back as he straightened. "Ah-ah! There is one minute detail that none of you have picked up," he said, squinting at the tarp as if he could see through the thick material.

"You said they were nocturnal, correct?" Callaghan prompted, smiling as he helped the teen along.

Fred nodded. "Yes, I did. If they're nocturnal, then why is it that even though there's a black-out cover on the cage, you hear no sound? They should be active if it was dark out."

Wasabi eyed the anthro enthusiast skeptically. "And... So?"

Fred gestured widely at the covered cage. "The Night Fury has the ability to change its internal clock - _which,_ may I remind you, the Hamada does not. So even though it seems dark, in reality, it's still morning."

The comic enthusiast nodded his head to the barred windows at the other end of the gym to indicate it was still morning before continuing with a lifted finger. "This makes the Hamada's sense of time incredibly accurate. However, their inability to adapt was what led to them being hunted to extinction as they all slept at the same time each day. It was merely a matter of finding their nesting place. Therefore, as a nocturnal species with an innate internal clock, the anthro that is resting in there right at this very moment _has_ to be a Hamada!"

Callaghan clapped his hands in applause at Fred's deductive abilities. "Amazing job deducing your answer, Mr. Lee. If you were in my homeroom, I would have given you extra credit."

"That's… That's amazing Freddie…" Honey whispered in awe, green eyes alight with wonder. Wasabi nodded along with the blonde and Gogo raised a brow.

Fred puffed out his chest and lifted his chin, monster beanie sliding off his head a bit. "S'no big deal," he shrugged, "I've been researching the Hamada's since-"

A wild screech cut him off then, the tone high and piercing as it took everyone by surprise. The team recoiled in shock, hands flying in a frenzy to cup the side of their heads.

"Wasn't it supposed to be asleep?!" Wasabi yelled frantically, fingers pressed to his ears. The African American hid behind Gogo, earning him an elbow to the ribs.

"Not it - _they!_ " Fred yelled over the horrible warble of the shriek.

" _Say what now?!_ " Wasabi yelled back incredulously. There were more than one of these beasts? One sounded scary enough as it was!

Gogo scowled at the cage as Honey Lemon hunched bedside her. "Explain," the woman growled, voice cutting low through the noise.

"This is the call of an angry parent! There has to be another anthro in there with it!" the comic enthusiast gushed, his voice rising in order to be heard. An excited smile spread on his face.

Finally, the horrible sound of nails-on-blackboard ended, a faint clicking sound silencing the chaos and throwing the group into a ringing muteness.

The Nerd Herd stared at the tarp-covered cage with varying looks of apprehension and a good amount of fear, but Fred's eyes sparkled. "H-how cool is that!" he stage whispered, looking between his friends. "I mean, it's scary, obviously, but how cool!"

In one collective breath, the group groaned.

* * *

Off to the side, Callaghan chuckled; he watched as his students - the brightest in their fields - argued about whether or not dealing with an angry bird mom was safe or not.

Despite their odd quirks, they were the best of the best, the cream of the crop, and he knew they would do their jobs well.

 **She** would be pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone want to 'hazard a guess' as to who our mystery person of this chapter is? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	16. Paw Print 02 – A Slippery Slope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you guys were wondering, I removed the Halo series (angel strand), because I was thinking of making it into its own story. Plus, it doesn't really fit in with the theme I'm running with here. Anyway, enjoy!

**Cat!Hidashi**

* * *

It was cold. Really cold. _Too_  cold.

At least, he was pretty sure he was cold.

Hiro couldn't feel his body. All he could register was a dull stinging sensation, paws burning not unlike the way they did when the kitten stepped out onto sun-baked pavement during the hottest summer months. The strange thing was, it wasn't just his paws; his entire body felt like that.

But it couldn't be that he was burning up; it was the middle of January in San Fransokyo. There had to be something wrong with him.

Hiro huffed under his breath; just doing that hurt too. The air was freezing in his lungs, sharp and crystalline - poking needles into every inhale. A shiver wracked the little kitten's body, and Hiro couldn't help the gasp that caught in his throat. He choked it down and tried to swallow. A dry gulp was all he was rewarded with.

Mentally grimacing, Hiro tried to open his eyes. "T-T'dashi…" Hiro whimpered, mewling softly to catch his brother's attention. His eyes wouldn't open.

The older cat stirred in his sleep, the open-topped cardboard box they were in rustling uneasily as he stretched awake. One amber eye slowly cracked open, a pink tongue peeking out to travel lazily over Hiro's head and smooth down the younger's fur.

"Hiro? What's wrong?" Tadashi asked, voice rumbling with sleep. If Hiro hadn't heard it and seen it a thousand times, he would have missed the way his brother's voice turned up at the end in concern, mirroring the slight flick of a sleek black tail.

"I'm c-cold," the younger Hamada complained, nuzzling his face into what he could feel of the other's chest. "I can't fe-el my body… A-and can't see..."

Lifting his head off their cardboard box floor to get a better look, Tadashi took a moment to register through the haze of sleep that Hiro's tiny body was shaking and shuddering underneath a thin layer of frost that covered him from head to tail, save for the one patch of fur he had licked clean. The kitten's breath was lifting as vapour, and his eyes were frozen shut.

An electric jolt of worry zapped Tadashi completely awake. Glancing upwards showed the older cat an atmosphere full of chilling fog, and beyond that, a sky heavy with grey clouds. It was going to snow - and from the looks of it, it was going to be a storm.

Tadashi mentally cursed. He had been hoping that Hiro would have turned at least a year and a half before he experienced his first winter storm. Tadashi himself had been on the verge of adolescence when he had first seen snow.

And although it didn't happen in San Fransokyo very often, Tadashi had been hard pressed not to freeze in the chill without relying on stealing both his parents' body warmth. Now with only one of him and Hiro still being so small, Tadashi was worried that if this kind of weather got worse, his kitten wouldn't make it through the night.

"Sl-sleepy," Hiro drawled, letting out a shuddering sigh that wafted into Tadashi's face; his little brother's breath was cold. " 'Dashi, g-gonna tak-e a nap, 'k-kay?"

Something like ice gripped the elder Hamada's heart. "No, no, no! Hiro, don't fall asleep yet!" he nearly yowled. Getting to his feet was a much harder task than Tadashi remembered; maybe it had to do with the fact that their leaky cardboard box-home had frozen overnight and decided to freeze some of Tadashi's fur to the floor. Nevertheless, once he was on his paws, Tadashi plopped on his younger sibling, trying to melt as much frost with his body heat as possible.

A high pitched wheeze – sort of like those squeaky toys they saw for dogs when they wandered through parks – came out of Hiro's mouth. "T-Tadashi, y'ur heavy," the younger whined. "Wan-na sleep. 'M t-tired…"

"Hiro, you can't fall asleep. Stay with me okay? Stay with Nii-san," Tadashi murmured into the other's fur, licking away as much frost as he could find. They needed to get somewhere warm, quickly – before Hiro decided that it was fine to fall asleep and never wake up. The elder Hamada felt fear pulse through his system. "Hiro, you can't leave me. Please, don't leave me. Not like mom and dad…"

Tadashi lapped at his little brother's eyes and watched as they slowly peeled open, revealing glassy chocolate brown orbs. "It's n-not leav-ing y-ou, 'm jus' takin' a n-nap…" Hiro's words were becoming more slurred and his shivering was intensifying.

They couldn't stay out here. If the weather was only going to get worse, then they would need to relocate to somewhere warmer than the damp alleys. "Hold on a sec, okay bud? Stay awake for me." Picking Hiro up by the back of his neck, Tadashi delicately climbed out of the box and nearly hissed as the pads of his paws slid on frost-slick pavement.

Tadashi hesitated when he noticed the younger Hamada's tail was dragging on the ground, collecting frost as they went. "Hiro, do you think you can climb onto my back?" the elder Hamada asked around his younger sibling's scruff. A weak mewl was his only response. No it was then. If Hiro didn't even have enough strength to make a sarcastic comeback, then they were worse off than he had initially thought.

Picking up his pace to a trot, Tadashi scanned the streets for somewhere warm to rest, grateful that most of the humans that were usually out at this hour of night were tucked away in their homes and unable to bother them.

The older Hamada could feel his brother shaking in his grip, shivers running up the length of Hiro's spine and into Tadashi's skull, making the elder's heart pound anxiously the longer they had to search. Another twenty minutes of this, and Tadashi gave up looking for a place out in the open.

With no luck on the streets, Tadashi turned the corner into the nearest alleyway, the red brick of the walls on either side wide and welcoming. As soon as he rounded the edge however, the black cat froze, limbs locking up and breath hitching just like Hiro's when he caught sight of who was at the end of the alley.

It was one of San Fransokyo's back street big shots -  _Yama_.

Hiro let out a whimper, the weak whine catching not only Tadashi's attention, but Yama's too. The fat Siberian tabby's ears flickered atop his head, and he swiveled, twisting to pin beady eyes on the two brothers. Tadashi stiffened at the shrewd stare, halfway stuck between his flight or fight instincts.

"Well, well. What do we have here? A little kitten and his baby sitter," the tabby sneered.

The words seemed to knock some sense into Tadashi, his higher functions focusing on one thing - Hiro first.

"Leave us alone Yama, we don't want any trouble," the elder Hamada mumbled into Hiro's neck ruff, slowly backing up the way he came.

"I never said I was gonna do anything," Yama rumbled, tilting his head in a mocking manner. Tadashi would have scowled, but at the moment his mouth was occupied carrying his little brother. A sneer crossed the other cat's face before he took a threatening step forward, shoulders hunching up and hide swaying in a predator's stalk. "Right guys?"

From the shadows of the dumpsters and buildings surrounding them, rough looking strays slunk out of the darkness. Some had scars, others had patches of fur missing, and one of them had an ear torn off.

A sly smile slipped onto Yama's face, his crooked whiskers twitching. "How 'bout I make a deal with you?"

Tadashi was immediately on high alert. Making deals with Yama was never a good idea. He was the kind of cat that would make a deal with you and then when you turned your back to him, he would gang up on you and take your promised territory and all the food in it.

"I'm not looking for a deal, Yama. I just want a place to keep warm," Tadashi reasoned. He could feel his hackles raise and his tail curl nervously in the air behind him.

The fat cat eyed Hiro, hanging in Tadashi's grasp and shivering minutely. "The kitten's freezing to death, ain't he? Alright  _Zero_ , tell you what. I'll trade you. You hand over the kitten, and I'll give you some of my territory. That way you won't be dragged down by that waste of time and effort, and I'll get a kid to my throne; Mama's been wanting a kitten to take care of anyway since her last litter didn't last."

Tadashi, when he had the time to reflect on it, would have felt guilty for hesitating. This could be his chance to give Hiro an actual home with an actual mom with real milk. Maybe even an actual future; sure, it might have been a dangerous future, but it would have been better than fishing for food in dumpsters that barely had any scraps to last them through a day and starving for weeks on end, right?

It would hurt Tadashi so bad to give up his little kitten, but if Hiro could-

The youngest Hamada wriggled a bit in his sibling's grasp, antsy at his older brother's lack of response. "N-no…!" he whimpered, voice bordering on terrified.

Disgust flooded Tadashi's chest. What the hell had he been thinking? He couldn't just give his brother to someone else! He had made a promise to their parents - he was going to raise Hiro in their place.

"So how 'bout it? The kitten for his life and your territory," Yama wheedled, smile turning sardonic.

Tadashi shook his head, Hiro bobbing in his hold. "Sorry, but he's not for sale."

The tabby's easy sneer turned into a nasty glare. "That's not the response I wanted,  _Zero._ "

With an imperious flick of his bushed tail, he growled a command.

"Get the kid; leave the mutt."


	17. Handprint 05 – Burn Baby Burn (Disco Inferno)

**Human/Regular AU**

**(Baby!Hiro and College Student!Dashi)**

* * *

" _Tadashi! Wake up Knucklehead, it's already lunch; I made your favourite!"_  Aunt Cass called from the kitchen.

Tadashi grumbled and pulled the covers closer, arms instinctively reaching out and fumbling blindly to find the tiny body that gave off warmth like a miniature heater. The bed was oddly cold. Without Hiro's familiar heat pressed up against him, it was hard to find that comfortable lull that accompanied nap time with his baby brother.

A child's shrieking laughter rang out from downstairs and Tadashi groggily pried an eye open. If even  _Hiro_  was up, he had  _really_  over slept.

With a yawn and all the grace of a low-battery Baymax, (he would have to fix that drunken quirk later – it had seemed comical at the time, but now that he was  _awake_ , Tadashi realized that it would most likely set a really bad example for Hiro) the elder Hamada tumbled out of bed and dragged himself to the kitchen on sleep-dead feet.

Halfway down the stairs, the first thing to greet him was the smell of Aunt Cass' most infamous dish: chicken wings.

Grin slipping easily onto his face, he leveled the last few steps, only to pause as his eyes widened with incredulity.

Sitting on his high chair and happily digging into the mild version of Cass' super-spicy hot wings, was Hiro – hair tied up into little pony tails all over his head. The child looked up from the almost neon orange chicken wings and smiled bright and wild, gapped teeth flashing around a mouthful of food.

Puzzled and oddly stricken by the new hairstyle, Tadashi took a seat across from his brother. "What's with the hairdo?" he asked with a teasing chuckle.

Hiro grinned and opened his mouth to speak, but the elder interrupted him before he could. "Swallow first," he said, interlocking his fingers and resting his chin on top of them as he fought off another yawn. Tadashi's body was still aching.

The child's mouth closed and Hiro chewed furiously before giving an exaggerated gulp. Tadashi gently shook his head in fond exasperation, one side of his lips quirking higher than the other. "So, ready to talk now?"

"No more hair," Hiro said briefly, already shoving meat that was shredded off the bones into his mouth. Sauce smeared across his plump cheeks and over his chin. Tadashi grimaced at the mess but couldn't help the way one eyebrow rose in question.

"He means that there's no more hair getting into his food," Aunt Cass said with a good natured smile in her voice, coming up behind him and placing down a steaming plate of the original super-spicy-melt-your-face-off hot wings before taking a seat beside Hiro.

The college student laughed as he picked up a wing – careful to not to burn himself. "Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem."

Aunt Cass rolled her eyes upwards. "If only your brother would let me get his hair cut, I wouldn't have to resort to this!" She waved a hand to indicate the top of Hiro's head, the child ignoring her flailing gestures in favour of recapturing the food that slipped out of his sauce-soaked grip.

Tadashi eyed the multi-coloured hair ties and numerous bobby pins that adorned Hiro's head, disrupting the natural poof of his baby brother's hair. The accessories had managed to flatten certain parts, but they hadn't been able to capture all of the untameable locks; weird tufts of hair stuck up here or there, reminding Tadashi of one of those dolls he had seen girls play with when he was younger. What were they called again? Trolls?

With a hum of satisfaction, Hiro finished off the last of his wings. "More please," he said, making grabby hands at Aunt Cass. Sighing wearily, the lady began stripping off the meat from some of her own hot wings and fed a small piece to Hiro.

The college student's eyes widened. "Wait, Aunt Cass-!"

Too late, Hiro's mouth clamped over the chicken, the strip of meat already disappearing from between her fingers. Tadashi ran a hand through his hair in horror, a noise of worry leaving him as his palm slipped back down to cover his mouth – his eyes wide in disbelief. "Oh no," he groaned, watching carefully as Hiro's face scrunched up and his cheeks turned red.

"Ugh…" the child whined, mouth opening and meat falling out as a little wad onto the plastic tray of his high chair. Hiro's brows pulled low over his watering eyes, and he spat half-heartedly, the stringy spit getting on his shirt. "Hooot," he complained, snot dripping down his nose.

Aunt Cass seemed to realize what had happened a second too late, hands flailing wildly out in front of her in worry. "Oh, Hiro sweetie, I'm so sorry! I should have been paying better attention!" Cass shot up from her chair, bustling from the table into the open kitchen to get some milk from the fridge.

Tadashi stood up as well, nabbing some tissues from the stack that sat on their kitchen's counter. Walking over to the crying child, Tadashi pressed the first to Hiro's cheeks and eyes, drying the tears that welled up. He used the second to wipe his little brother's mouth from the spicy sauce and for the last tissue, the elder Hamada placed it to the toddler's dripping nose.

"Here, blow your nose," Tadashi said, holding the tissue in place. The younger Hamada scrunched up his nose and blew, a cute little 'pffftttt' sound coming out of him.

Tadashi withdrew the tissue with a cringe, watching as clear snot drooped from Hiro's nose into the tissue. With a final wipe, Aunt Cass was bustling back into the dining room, arms carrying two glasses and one sippy cup of milk.

"Here you go honey," Cass crooned, handing the purple and red sippy cup to the toddler.

Hiro took it from her graciously, his mouth immediately closing on the straw attachment and gulping down large mouthfuls to sooth the burn from the chicken wings. When all the tangy heat was gone, Hiro placed the cup down on his plastic tray with a contented sigh, unwittingly smooshing the little bit of meat he had spat out on the underside.

"Crisis averted, huh?" Tadashi chuckled, already moving to clean up his little brother's mess. Another yawn slipped out of him. He reached for Hiro's empty sippy cup, but Aunt Cass shooed his hands away, nudging him with her hip as her nimble fingers undid Hiro's high chair buckle.

"Tadashi, why don't you take Hiro up and change him? He needs to clean up a bit," she said, indicating the toddler's clothes and lightly smeared face with a disapproving glance. "I'll cover up your wings for you so you can eat them later."

"I couldn't make you do that Aunt Cass; don't worry about it, I'll clean up everything. You just go rest," Tadashi insisted.

Aunt Cass' mouth suddenly turned down at the corners and her eyebrows met in the middle of her forehead. (Guilt at making her take on that expression filled a shallow pit in Tadashi's stomach.) Cassandra Hamada was having none of her nephew's overly-helpfulness today. Not after he had come home at three a.m. in the morning, worn out and exhausted from working on his midterm college robotics project only to help calm a fussy Hiro to sleep at little past 4:30 a.m.

"What I  _meant_  to say, Tadashi _-_ " the addressed Hamada shrunk in on himself when he heard the tone of voice she was using- "was take Hiro upstairs with you and get a few more hours of shut eye," she huffed. "I don't want to see you down here until you've gotten at least three more hours' worth of it!" Her hands landed on her hips. When her hands were positioned on her hips like that, Cass meant business.

"But you made us food-" Tadashi tried to protest.

" 'Dashi…" Hiro whined from his highchair, catching both Tadashi's and Aunt Cass' attention. His thumb was stuck in his mouth. He removed the appendage for a moment to raise his arms in the air and make needy gestures towards his brother. "I want up… Pretty please?" The puppy-dog eyes made an appearance.

Tadashi paused in his debate with Aunt Cass, the woman shooting him a knowing look out of his peripherals. How could he say no to both of those faces? With a half-sigh, half-chuckle, the elder Hamada brother shot his aunt a grateful smile before a good natured, "Coming," heaved out of him in the form of a laugh. He had lost this round, two-against-one.

Picking his brother up by his underarms, Tadashi propped the toddler on his hip, making his way towards his and Hiro's attic loft. He paused at the base of the the stairs that led up to their room, glancing back at the dining table. Aunt Cass was already wiping down Hiro's high chair, whistling a tune from one of her soap operas.

"Hey, Aunt Cass?" Tadashi called out experimentally, bouncing a bit to shift Hiro higher up on his waist. The toddler huffed impatiently and wrapped his arms around the elder's neck, sticky fingers idly tugging on the back of Tadashi's shirt.

"Yeah?" came their aunt's instant reply. A warm silence followed her voice, and Tadashi's face eased into a small smile.

"Thanks for everything," he said softly, turning on his heel and walking up the stairs with red ears and flushed cheeks.

* * *

A few baby wipes later and a change of clothes for them both, and Tadashi was struggling to take out all the pins and hair ties from Hiro's floof without hurting him.

"Ow, ow, ow! 'Dashi, itai," (that hurts) Hiro whined, tiny starfish hand gripping Tadashi's pinky. The elder Hamada withdrew his fingers from his sibling's hair.

"Sorry Hiro, but I gotta get this bobby pin out of your hair. I don't even know how Aunt Cass got this in in the first place," Tadashi murmured, "and in that position too."

A sharp twist, and the bobby pin came free – a few strands of Hiro's dark hair coming out with it. The toddler whined, loud and displeased. Tadashi leaned over to murmur an apology into his sibling's cheek, a quick peck making everything  _mostly_  better.

"There, see? I'm done," Tadashi declared, triumphantly holding up the relinquished bobby pin for his brother to observe in his desk lamp's meager light. A loud sigh of relief, and Hiro slumped against Tadashi's chest. The older Hamada brother ran his hands over the younger's scalp, soothing the throbbing sting of hair being pulled. Finally done prepping Hiro for bed, Tadashi picked them both up from the floor and tucked Hiro into his crib, moving over to his side of the room to begin straightening out his own blankets.

Just as he was about to slip under the covers and lay down, a sad whine caught his attention. "Nii-san!" Hiro stage whispered. "Nii-saaaan!"

Tadashi rolled his eyes at the exaggerated noises of urgency his little sibling made. "What's wrong? I just tucked you in – weren't you comfy?" he asked, bed momentarily forgotten as he got up and padded over to the crib on the other side of the room.

" 'Dashi-nii! I wanna sleep with you!" Hiro grinned, hands gripping the bars of his baby-bed. The toddler bounced on the spot, his poofy cheeks jiggling with each hop. "Please, please, please?"

The elder Hamada's lips turn up at the sight and a huff of amusement left through his nose. "Alright, alright - I'll let you sleep with me," he acquiesced; that was fine with him. It wasn't like he could get any real rest without his little brother by his side anyway. Lifting Hiro once more, Tadashi slipped into his side of the room and slid into his futon, laying Hiro across his chest and pulling the blankets up around them.

"That better?" Tadashi asked, brushing a crooked finger against the younger's cheek and eyes turning soft.

Face pressed to Tadashi's collarbone and bangs tickling the elder's neck, Hiro's eyes drooped and he yawned. "Mm," he hummed in agreement, rubbing his contented expression into his brother's shirt.

Tadashi struggled not to coo at the sight, but ended up doing so anyway. "Night, Hiro," he whispered, wrapping a loose arm around his sibling before planting a kiss in the toddler's unruly hair.

"G'nigh 'Dashi," Hiro echoed, out like a light in the next minute.

The college student bit his lip to hold in a chuckle. Seriously, his baby brother was just too cute.


	18. Paw Print 03 - Big Boss Calico

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADCANON!
> 
> Mochi isn't your usual house cat; the first indication of this is that he's a Japanese Bobtail calico. And most calico's aren't male. However, other than this minor detail, Mochi was actually originally raised on the streets as a stray - the same as Tadashi and Hiro. The only difference between the Hamada bros and Mochi though, is that Mochi never grew up with his parents.
> 
> They had died when he was a kitten, before he was even capable of sight. All things considered, Mochi shouldn't have survived. But he did. He'd had to fight tooth and nail to carve his niche into the world - had to climb to the top of the trash pile and make a name for himself. And that name?
> 
> Big. Boss. Calico.
> 
> Far and wide, cats all over San Fran knew his title and feared his no-holds-barred scrap fighting. For years he was left unchallenged; he had the largest territory, got the most food, and had the most females during mating season.
> 
> This all changed however, when a newbie named Yama rose up out of nowhere and challenged the Big Boss Calico to an all-or-nothing fight, announcing it for all of the back streets to know. It was to take place in a secluded lot where no one could interfere, and the cat who returned after sundown would be the winner. The loser was to be left for dead.
> 
> Filled with his years of unchallenged pride, Mochi accepted the challenge, naively believing the juvenile Yama would be just like the rest of the power-hungry cats he had faced before... He hadn't exactly been wrong.
> 
> When Mochi had arrived at the secluded lot to face Yama, mano-a-mano (cato-a-cato?), he was greeted not by the cat who had issued the challenge, but by an ambush of Yama's goons; they had all ganged up on him from behind, their numbers going at about thirty strong. Mochi fought them well beyond sundown, struggling to take them all down by himself (and even then, Mochi knocked out more than half).
> 
> The unfortunate thing though, was that while the calico was fending off Yama's troop of thugs, Yama himself strolled onto the back streets of San Fransokyo, unharmed and alone once the sun started to set. Not knowing of Yama's dirty tricks, the strays accepted Yama as the superior cat and made him the new "Big Boss". After that, it was the talk of the streets for weeks to follow - the Big Boss had fallen to some wet-behind-the-ears cat: the Siberian tabby Yama.
> 
> Mochi was at his ultimate low at that time, limping from the wounds he had sustained from the fight, and shamed from the back streets; he struggled to hunt for himself with his injuries, and by the time he was nearly starved to death, he was found by a human. They took him home, gave him food, tended his injuries, and then fed him some more. It was love at third (cat-safe) doughnut.
> 
> Later on, after Mochi fully recovers, he wakes up from a nap to realize he's seated in a human's lap with a collar around his neck and a new family to protect. His heart is made up then and there to stay with his human.
> 
> Yama and Mochi have a few run-ins after that, and while Yama is still king on the streets, Mochi finds that he doesn't regret being pushed off his throne - it plopped him right into the lap of the most nicest person he would ever find: Cass. Since then, Mochi completely left behind the street life for the domestic life, content on playing companion for his saviour and watching out for his now significantly smaller - but so much more precious - territory.

**Cat!Hidashi**

* * *

Thundering laughter followed Tadashi around the corner of the alley, chasing him as closely as the three fog-streaked figures nipping at his tail. He couldn't outrun them - not while carrying Hiro. They needed to find a place to hide. At least until Tadashi could avoid confrontation with Yama and his goons.

A pained whine came from Hiro, and Tadashi belatedly realized his jaw was setting, pinching his brother's scruff between his canines. With a hastily mumbled apology and broken reassurances, Tadashi made a sharp right into their fourth alley, nicking his shoulder on the crumbling brick. He barely had enough time to grunt before Yama's goons were upon them again, turning the corner with noisy whoops of excitement.

Growling in frustration, Tadashi picked up speed, sprinting down the rest of the narrow space and clearing the upcoming wooden fence in two vertical strides. Landing almost soundlessly on the other side, the elder Hamada didn't bother looking over his shoulder to check if the thugs were still in pursuit.

They were. He knew they were.

In the spare few seconds he had, Tadashi shuffled on his belly under the closest dumpster he could find and, as soon as he saw it would be to his advantage, slid into a little nick in the wall. Hopefully the reek of garbage would be enough to hide their scent.

The clatter of unsteady paws falling over the fence echoed off the buildings' sides, and the elder Hamada desperately tried to mute his laboured breathing into the fur of Hiro's neck. His brother was limp and nearly unresponsive at his side, though still shivering - still alive.

The black cat fought down the panic roiling in his chest. They had to find a place to get warm  _quick_. Otherwise Tadashi wouldn't make in time and Hiro would either freeze to death or be taken away from him.

Neither was an option.

A rumble of confused chatter had Tadashi slinking further into the little niche in the stained brick wall, silently folding Hiro away between his forepaws and purring lowly in the back of his throat; he honestly wasn't sure who it was he was trying to reassure anymore - himself or Hiro.

Tadashi held his breath when the three cats stiffened, all of them turning towards the fence. A loud thump and a low growl signaled Yama's arrival.

"Well? Where's the runt?" Tadashi heard the other cat ask, the Siberian's feathered tail visible from where the Hamada's hid under the dumpster. It was flicking back and forth in irritation.

Yama's goons shuffled together as one in a collectively nervous movement. "Uh, w-well the thing is Boss, we kinda- we kinda lost them?"

A muffled thwack and a stifled yowl made Tadashi jump. Yama had hit one of his goons. The cat was lying on his belly now, grovelling and admitting submission. His head was low enough to the floor that if he twisted his head any further right, he would spot both brothers.

 _Jinxed it_ , Tadashi thought sourly as the goon did just that. The cat's ears flipped back in surprise, pupils slitting and ugly grin working its way past his jagged fangs. "Hey Boss, guess what?"

Yama grunted.

"Found 'em," the orange-striped thug sneered, lunging towards the dumpster.

His dirty paws swiped at the two, and immediately the older Hamada clamped onto Hiro's neck scruff and scrambled out from under the garbage bin, a chorus of yowling and chatters following after the black cats.

Streaking across the road, Tadashi ducked under oncoming cars and dodged around rolling wheels. He wasn't surprised that the risky move did nothing to deter his pursuers. Any good alley cat could cross the street during rush hour. Right now was the dead of early morning; this must have been a piece of tuna for them.

Still, the elder Hamada continued sprinting despite his front legs stumbling from Hiro's dead weight. He was tiring now, and with each yard he crossed, he was getting more desperate. Distantly, Tadashi considered his odds of winning if he were to just stop running around like a headless chicken and fight them. He quickly scrapped the idea; there were too many risks involved.

There were four of them and one of him, and if he lost the fight or got distracted, Hiro would be taken from right under his whiskers. He had to find a way to protect Hiro no matter the cost - hopefully within the budget of keeping both of them alive and together.

Racing into the next alley way he could find, Tadashi slipped on a slick patch of frost, hitting the pavement and scraping his side on cold concrete. Hiro shivered, still in his older brother's unwavering grip. The cackles of Yama and his goons were getting closer. They were catching up with them.

Tadashi staggered onto four paws, shaking from exertion. He couldn't stop here. Whipping around with the intent to race down the rest of the narrow street, the black cat twitched in surprise and faltered when he was met with a dead-end brick wall.

"There he is! The brat too!" Came from behind him.

They were trapped.

Maybe now was a good idea to revisit that plan to stop running around like a headless chicken and just fight the strays.

* * *

Far above the gathering crowd of alley cats, one lone feline hummed tunelessly under his breath, lounging on the sill of an open window - playing sentinel to his human's cooling pie.

A thud of a body hitting the concrete below him caught the calico's drifting attention, and soon a loud,  _familiar_  raucous set alarm bells ringing in his head. Ears pricked upright and alert, the cat peered over the edge of his window sill, taking in a sight that sent resentment and disgust rippling through his pelt.

Shifting onto all fours, the cat waited for the perfect moment to strike, then  _jumped._

* * *

They were taking Hiro away. They couldn't take Hiro away. Not like this - not when he was so vulnerable; not when his little kitten was putting up as best a fight he could in his weakened state, pleading mewls and minute struggles making him sway back and forth - hanging from a mouth that wasn't Tadashi's.

Yama wasn't even holding him right - his teeth were pressing in too hard; his grip was so far up on Hiro's neck, it was almost at the base of the kitten's soft skull, way too close to the jugular. Tadashi could only bet it was because Yama was too used to killing.

The elder Hamada struggled to get his paws underneath him. Everything hurt. He was probably bleeding from the scratches on his side, and it was definitely teeth marks that made his hide sting. "Give Hiro back," Tadashi panted, chest tight and throbbing in slow waves of pain. Something was most likely sprained, if not broken.

"No can do, Zero. No one - and I mean  _no one_ ," the siberian tabby hissed, "refuses Yama."

The stray's crooked lips pulled back into an unsavoury smirk, revealing yellowing canines. Tadashi's stomach rolled. That mouth didn't look right flashing around the dark velvet black of Hiro's scruff.

Tadashi swayed onto his paws, but could barely even shift a muscle before there were claws and teeth digging into his flesh again. The black cat cried out, tail twitching pathetically before that too was clamped down on.

"Enough," Yama ordered. The mauling stopped, but the pressure didn't lift. The three goons were a heavy weight on Tadashi's back, pushing their filthy paws into the most uncomfortable places on his body.

"Y'know, I have to thank you, Zero," the tabby grinned, cruel laughter dancing in his voice. "Without you, it would have taken me a lot longer to find a runt to shut Mama up." Yama let out a deep-throated chuckle, his fat belly jiggling along with his misplaced mirth. "Say bye-bye to your kitten, runt - you won't be seeing him again." The cat turned to go, mocking tone still ringing in Tadashi's ears and tail signalling a final, silent command.

The goons leered at him, eyeing him like he was a piece of meat before resuming their mauling. Gritting his teeth, Tadashi tried to keep Hiro in his sights despite the tears of pain that clouded his vision. He needed to use that big brain of his to think of a way out of this,  _fast_  - find a new angle to save his little brother before Yama took him away for good!

He wasn't giving up - not on Hiro.  _Never_  on Hiro.

But how!? How was he supposed to turn this situation around? How was he going to-?

A dark shadow flickered in Tadashi's field of vision, falling from the sky in a ball of blurred white-black-orange onto the Siberian tabby. A screech of rage left Yama, and the stray bucked the weight off his back, dropping Hiro in a limp pile as he spun on his surprise attacker. "Who dares attack Yama?" he yowled, chest sticking out and tail held high.

Yama stiffened as he took in the figure of a stout calico - a Japanese bobtail, from the looks of it - before slouching into a defensive stance a second later. "If it isn't the Big Boss Calico himself," he spoke up with derisive care, whiskers twitching uneasily.

Above him, Tadashi felt Yama's goons freeze and slide slowly onto their belies - almost as if in preparation to submit to the new cat.

The calico lifted his gaze and slightly shifted his head to the side to keep Yama out of his blind spot. The effect was a regal downturn of his snout, a look of disdain passing through emerald green eyes. "I thought I told you that this area was off limits to you and your goons, Yama," he said, sitting back on his haunches.

The hairs on Tadashi's neck lifted and bristled; the cat's voice was low, powerful, and controlled. It wasn't yet a growl, but even without the sound, the threat in his words were clear.

The Siberian tabby didn't seem to hear the threat. He sneered and began to circle the other, haunches rising and sloping in a predatory stalk. "Who are you to talk? You're no better than a lapdog now, Calico. I've taken your title as Big Boss from you a long time ago; you don't belong on these streets," Yama hissed.

The mysterious cat's tail flicked up in interest at the unsaid challenge, and Yama's goons jolted, their scruffs rising and tails frizzing. The scent of fear was rolling off them in heavy waves and Tadashi absently wondered if he should be scared with them.

"It's true that I don't belong on these streets anymore," the Japanese bobtail agreed, "but we all know you're the only one with lapdogs here." A quick glance at the goons on Tadashi's back, and they were slinking back, tails held low and eyes looking anywhere but him.

Yama too, seemed to shrink back at the words - tail drooping and ears folding back before he suddenly seemed to remember himself. Standing tall in an attempt to seem more intimidating and powerful, the tabby stepped forward, back curved and claws out. "Watch your tongue - I'm the boss here; You're just a fat, old house cat."

The calico remained unfazed at the words, a haughty smirk working its way past the Japanese bobtail's canines. His eyes roved once-over Yama's form. "I see you haven't looked in a mirror anytime recently," he scoffed.

The Siberian tabby's face contorted in anger, gait slowing and becoming tense.

"If anything, I would have thought  _you_  were the fat old house cat," the calico continued, riling up the other even further. "You look more like a potato than a cat, in fact!"

Yama roared in anger at the final insult, and there was a quick flurry of motion that the bleary-eyed Tadashi couldn't completely follow. Yama pounced, paws outstretched and teeth ready to rip into flesh. The calico however, had not moved from his spot; he merely lifted a mighty paw before thwacking Yama over the ear. The sound of the blow was solid and painful, and the Siberian hit the pavement with a sound of shock.

Tadashi watched as the tabby rose on shaky paws, indignation rising at the sight of the calico's fur laying flat across his back - slick, calm, in full control of the situation; he wasn't the least bit ruffled.

"Leave, Yama. This is my territory, and you  _know_  what happens to any unwelcome cat that trespasses on my land." The calico rose off his haunches, standing on all four paws in what Tadashi could only describe as an omnipotent stance.

The goons were the first to abandon. Yama was not far behind once his support left, and as soon as the weight was lifted off his back, Tadashi scrambled around the calico cat and to Hiro's side, tenderly scooping him up into his jaws. The elder Hamada's heart nearly stopped in his chest. Hiro's shivering was no longer there, and now he was almost eerily still, no matter how Tadashi called for him. Horror filled Tadashi's stomach. Was he too late?

The elder Hamada startled when emerald green orbs filled his vision and the weight of his little brother was taken out of his slackening mouth.

"Wait! Don't take him away!" Tadashi pleaded, voice wheezing out of him in a rush and paws stumbling over each other in his haste to reclaim his little brother.

The bobtail paused to look over his shoulder when the black cat crumpled to his knees in pain. "Please, he's all I've got left..."

Raising a curious brow, the calico cocked his head towards an open window high up the alley wall. The smell of warmth spilled out of the little opening. "I'm not taking the little one away from you," he explained, "but I need to get up there if he's going to last the night."

He jumped from the ground to the garbage can in one swift movement, and climbed onto the dumpster's lid in the next. Without looking back to see if Tadashi was following him, he took a final large leap up onto the window sill, hauling his round body over the edge with a given grace. In the blink of an eye, he was disappearing inside - Hiro in tow.

The black cat made a distressed noise and clambered onto the garbage can despite his aching body. If it meant saving Hiro, Tadashi would follow.


	19. Handprint 06 – It's Not Jealousy (Not Even Close)

**Human/Regular AU**

**(Baby!Hiro and College Student!Dashi)**

* * *

Tadashi tugged at his hair, the strands unwashed and slightly greasy. It was nearing midterm, but he still had no idea what he was doing with his soft robotics project. So far, it wasn't going so well. Yeah it had a purpose, and sure it was sort-of-not-really working, but there was something that was missing. Something not right – something… _lifeless_ about his project. It was just an arm meant to aid doctors in medical procedures, but it still felt as if it was deadweight – redundant in its purpose.

If Tadashi had expressed his problem with anyone else in his department, they would have scoffed. _It's a robot_ , they would probably say, _It's not supposed to have a life._

Tadashi saw it a bit differently.

"Burning the late night oil, Mr. Hamada?" A voice asked, along with a soft rap of knuckles on the glass door.

Tadashi spun in his desk chair and mustered up a smile for his robotics professor. "Professor Callaghan," he acknowledged, "are you heading home already?"

Callaghan laughed, hands slipping into his pockets. "I'm not as young as I used to be, Tadashi. I get tired easily. Better for me to head home early and get as much rest as I can, don't you agree?"

The professor eyed Tadashi's hair and slightly dishevelled appearance, silently indicating that the young adult head home for once and sleep. Abashedly, the elder Hamada rubbed the back of his neck and flushed red. "Ah, yeah. I should... probably do that too."

The robotics teacher nodded with a genial smile and turned to leave, his hand lifting in farewell. "Don't stay too late Mr. Hamada. We have families to get back to after all."

Tadashi looked up and watched the retreating figure of his professor. He was right; Tadashi should probably get home, before Aunt Cass got worried about him – and by extension, before Hiro started worrying about him too.

Stealing a last reproachful glance at his midterm robotics project, Tadashi set about gathering his things and mopily stuffing them into his messenger bag.

The ride home felt lethargic.

* * *

The first thing to catch Tadashi's attention the moment he stepped foot into his and Hiro's shared loft was the mess. There were crayons and markers littering every surface of their room: on the desk, the beds, the shelves, and the floor – a _ll over_ the floor. "Nii-chan!" Hiro giggled, running up to Tadashi from somewhere out of the clutter. He was covered in marker lines, stripes of colour running across his poofy cheeks and over his clothes. Tadashi silently thanked whatever deity that was up there that those markers were washable.

"Look, look! I made a drawing!" the toddler laughed, tugging excitedly on Tadashi's sleeve and pointing with a green and yellow finger at the mess of paper and drawing utensils at the foot of the elder Hamada's bed. That spot seemed to be the epicentre of the entire mess, a chaos of colours spreading out from the highest point of concentration like rainbow scribbles exploding over every stainable surface in their shared bedroom.

Tadashi could only assume that that was Hiro's base of operations. The elder brother fought back a tired sigh that wanted to claw its way up his throat. He'd been staying late for the past week to work on his soft robotics medical arm, but it'd all been for naught. And now he had to clean up Hiro's mess on top of that. With a hidden grimace, Tadashi decided to leave the rainbow spillage until tomorrow – when he wasn't so exhausted.

Following his little brother across their room was trickier than he remembered. It was probably because he kept slipping on markers and loose sheets of paper. Hiro frowned after the fourth slip on the short way to his bed. "Nii-chan, what's wrong?"

The elder Hamada scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "I'm just a little tired, Hiro. I'm fine. Now what did you want to show me?"

The child genius didn't look convinced, but stayed quiet. Instead, he tugged Tadashi more vigorously over to his pile of papers and picked one up from the top of the stack. "Look!" Hiro grinned, holding the paper out in front of him proudly.

"What's this?" Tadashi asked, taking the picture from his little brother's hands and examining it more closely. The drawing was well done for Hiro's age, aside from the fact that it looked a bit like a misshapen marshmallow with arms, legs and a mouth connected to what looked like two eyes.

"Not what; _who!_ " Hiro exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot and dragging at Tadashi's cardigan to get him to kneel.

The elder Hamada complied. "Okay... Who's this?"

"Baymax!"

"Bay... Baymax?" Tadashi asked, tilting his head slightly to observe the soft curves of the drawing.

Hiro clapped his hands excitedly. "Yeah!"

"What do they do?" Tadashi asked curiously. Knowing his brother, everything had a purpose, whether he had purposely intended it to or had unconsciously projected it with a hidden meaning.

The toddler seemed to contemplate the question, his head tilting to the side and lips pursing in thought. "He's nice and friendly and always gives warm hugs!"

"I see," the elder Hamada chuckled, drawing his brother into his arms and leaning his head on top of Hiro's. So the thing had a gender too.

"And he takes care of you when you get boo-boos," Hiro gushed, wriggling happily in place. "He always says, 'On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?'"

Tadashi looked on in surprise – those were always the words he said to Hiro whenever he got hurt. Was this drawing based off of him? An inkling of an idea started to form in Tadashi's head. "Hey, Hiro," he started haltingly, unsure how to ask for something like this.

Hiro swivelled his head to meet his elder brother's unfocused gaze. "Yeah?"

"Can I… Can I have this picture?"

The child blinked at him in surprise. "Why?"

Tadashi grinned down at his sibling. "Just have a few plans for this guy," he answered ambiguously.

Hiro broke out into a large grin, not even bothering to question his sibling further. "Okay! Take good care of Baymax, alright?"

The elder smiled and nodded once. "I promise."

Hiro jumped off his lap and rushed over to his other drawings, Baymax already forgotten in Tadashi's hands. Tadashi sighed happily, a fond look passing over his face as he watched the toddler pick up the rest of his pictures to show his elder brother. After the show and tell was over and Tadashi gave him and Hiro a bath, the elder Hamada tucked them into bed. Hiro was asleep as fast as he usually was, and Tadashi tried not to jostle his brother with his laugh.

"I'll take good care of Baymax," he whispered, hand running through fluffy raven locks. "And in return, he'll take good care of you too, Hiro."

* * *

**[Half a year later…]**

He had brought this unto himself, Tadashi surmised. Maybe it had started before, or maybe it had started later, but nonetheless, he couldn't deny that it was there. That niggling emotion dyed a vibrant, attention-catching green.

From his imperious seat on the white marshmallow bot's lap, Hiro giggled, hands flying through the air in excited gestures as he rambled about 'the coolest bot in the universe'. They were familiar gestures, ones that Tadashi himself unconsciously did – and really, it was no surprise Hiro had picked them up from his older brother.

Tadashi's cell phone vibrated in his back pocket, and the young adult absentmindedly picked up while shooting his robotic nurse slightly envious glances.

"Hello?"

' _Tadashi?'_ It was Aunt Cass. _'When do you plan on coming home? Rush hour is over so I made cookies. Y'know, double chocolate chip, right out of the oven?_ '

Tadashi's stomach rumbled a bit at the thought. "Mmm, the soft chocolate chip ones that just melt in your mouth? Hiro's favourite?" he asked slyly.

' _You know it, mister!' S_ he crowed proudly through the speaker. ' _Now hurry back, okay?'_

"Yeah, Hiro and I will be home soon. We're leaving now. Bye."

With the click of the call dropping, Tadashi turned to his baby brother. "Hiro, don't you want to go home and have some of Aunt Cass' double chocolate chip cookies? She just called and said they were right out of the oven!" Tadashi sang from his spot at his work desk.

"No!" Hiro said, stubbornly crossing his arms over a small chest. "I want to stay with Baymax!"

A stab of an emotion Tadashi didn't want to name poked him between the ribs. He wasn't jealous. He wasn't. "Don't you like staying with Nii-san too?" he asked, more teasingly than anything.

Hiro seemed to pause at his words, face scrunching up in thought. A finger found its way into the toddler's mouth, and Tadashi got up from his chair with a resigned sigh. He walked over to crouch beside his brother. "Didn't we make a promise you would stop sucking on your thumb?"

With a slight nod, Hiro let the other gently pry his hand from his mouth. Wide, guileless eyes stared at the older Hamada. "I like Baymax…" Hiro started, and for a second, Tadashi held his breath. "But I like Nii-san more."

Tadashi smiled wide, picking up Hiro and lifting him into the air. "Well I like Hiro the best," the elder said, blowing a raspberry into his sibling's stomach; the toddler shrieked from the ticklish sensation, limbs pin wheeling in frantic circles. Chuckling, Tadashi settled his younger brother in the crook of his arm while grabbing his bag and slinging it over one shoulder. "Let's go home, okay? I'll bring you to see Baymax another time."

Hiro looked downtrodden, but nodded all the same. Tadashi grinned fondly at the expression before a mischievous glint entered the younger sibling's eyes. Blowing out his cheeks, Hiro pressed his entire face to Tadashi's and blew a giant, loud, _wet_ raspberry.

"Ew, Hiro!" Tadashi nearly squealed, hurriedly wiping his face on a cardigan sleeve. Hiro's entire body shook with peals of delighted laughter and Tadashi couldn't help the feeling of fond warmth spreading out from where his brother clung to his side.

"Nii-san is Hiro's hero!" the toddler whooped happily, attempting to shower his brother with more raspberries.

Tadashi easily fended off his younger sibling with one arm. "And you're my number one," Tadashi said lovingly, batting away starfish hands and flailing limbs long enough to press a kiss to Hiro's nose. "Always."


End file.
